System and method for providing a social media shopping experience

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are a system and process of providing social networking purchasing processes. A method includes receiving, from a posting entity and at the social networking entity, a posting or a submission of a text, an image or a video. When the submission is associated with a product within a product catalog of the posting entity, the social networking entity presents in a newsfeed of users or otherwise on the social networking entity, the text, image or video with an associated option to buy. The option to buy might be presented through a messenger application or as the user browses the posting. When there is a correlation between the posting and the product catalog, and when the user makes a purchase of the product, the user is not transitioned away from the social networking entity. Initiating a payment process occurs within the social networking entity.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/391,481, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/884,416, filed Jul. 14, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/849,219, filed Apr. 15, 2020, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/721,970, filed Dec.20, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/573,411, filed Sep. 17, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/445,297, filed Jun. 19, 2019, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/279,685, filed Feb.19, 2019, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/126,541, filed Sep. 10, 2018, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/947,395,filed Apr. 6, 2018, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/720,878, filed Sep. 29, 2017, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/678,664,filed Aug. 16, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/678,378, filed Aug. 16, 2017, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/602,868,filed May 23, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/600,599, filed May 19, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/600,388, filed May 19, 2017, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/586,999,filed May 4, 2017, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/269,451, filed Sep. 19, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No.9,767,520, issued Sep. 19, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/263,066, filed Sep. 12, 2016, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/018,954, filed Feb.9, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,734,526, issued Aug. 15, 2017, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/853,579, filed Sep.14, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,396,491, issued on Jul. 19, 2016, which isa continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/822,368, filedAug. 10, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,292,871, issued on Mar. 22, 2016,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/672,876,filed Mar. 30, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,361,638, issued on Jun. 7,2016, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.61/973,287, filed Apr. 1, 2014 and also is a continuation-in-part ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/230,864, filed 31 Mar. 2014, nowU.S. Pat. No. 9,430,794, Issued on Aug. 30, 2016, and also claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/972,843, filedMar. 31, 2014, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/972,834, filedMar. 31, 2014, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/972,848, filedMar. 31, 2014, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/972,865, filedMar. 31, 2014, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/972,879, filedMar. 31, 2014, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/972,861, filedMar. 31, 2014, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/972,878, filedMar. 31, 2014, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/972,892, filedMar. 31, 2014, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/972,890, filedMar. 31, 2014, the contents of each of which are herein incorporated byreference in their entireties.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/391,481, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/884,416, filed Jul. 14, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/849,219, filed Apr. 15, 2020, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/721,970, filed Dec.20, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/573,411, filed Sep. 17, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/445,297, filed Jun. 19, 2019, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/279,685, filed Feb.19, 2019, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/126,541, filed Sep. 10, 2018, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/947,395,filed Apr. 6, 2018, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/720,878, filed Sep. 29, 2017, which iscontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/678,664,filed Aug. 16, 2017, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/475,578, filed Mar. 23, 2017, U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/450,900, filed Jan. 26, 2017, U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/399,761, filed Sep. 26, 2016.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/391,481, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/884,416, filed Jul. 14, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/849,219, filed Apr. 15, 2020, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/721,970, filed Dec.20, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/573,411, filed Sep. 17, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/445,297, filed Jun. 19, 2019, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/279,685, filed Feb.19, 2019, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/126,541, filed Sep. 10, 2018, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/947,395,filed Apr. 6, 2018, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/720,878, filed Sep. 29, 2017, which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/560,261, filedSep. 19, 2017, the contents of which are herein incorporated byreference in their entireties.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/391,481, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/884,416, filed Jul. 14, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/849,219, filed Apr. 15, 2020, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/721,970, filed Dec.20, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/573,411, filed Sep. 17, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/445,297, filed Jun. 19, 2019, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/279,685, filed Feb.19, 2019, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/126,541, filed Sep. 10, 2018, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/947,395,filed Apr. 6, 2018, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentApplication Ser. No. 15/720,878, filed Sep. 29, 2017, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent Application Ser. No. 15/263,057,filed Sep. 12, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/018,954, filed Feb. 9, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,734,526,issued Aug. 15, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/853,579, filed Sep. 14, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,396,491,Issued on Jul. 19, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/822,368, filed Aug. 10, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No.9,292,871, Issued on Mar. 22, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/672,876, filed Mar. 30, 2015, now U.S.Pat. No. 9,361,638, Issued on Jun. 7, 2016, which claims priority toU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/973,287, filed Apr. 1, 2014and also is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/230,864, filed 31 Mar. 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,430,794, Issued onAug. 30, 2016, and also claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/972,843, filed Mar. 31, 2014, U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/972,834, filed Mar. 31, 2014, U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/972,848, filed Mar. 31, 2014, U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/972,865, filed Mar. 31, 2014, U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/972,879, filed Mar. 31, 2014, U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/972,861, filed Mar. 31, 2014, U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/972,878, filed Mar. 31, 2014, U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/972,892, filed Mar. 31, 2014, U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/972,890, filed Mar. 31, 2014, the contents of each ofwhich are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/391,481, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/884,416, filed Jul. 14, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/849,219, filed Apr. 15, 2020, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/721,970, filed Dec.20, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/573,411, filed Sep. 17, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/445,297, filed Jun. 19, 2019, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/279,685, filed Feb.19, 2019, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/126,541, filed Sep. 10, 2018, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/569,841, filed Oct. 9, 2017, thecontents of which are herein incorporated by reference in theirentireties.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/391,481, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/884,416, filed Jul. 14, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/849,219, filed Apr. 15, 2020, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/721,970, filed Dec.20, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/573,411, filed Sep. 17, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/445,297, filed Jun. 19, 2019, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/279,685, filed Feb.19, 2019, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/018,939, filed Feb. 9, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/853,579, Sep. 14, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No.9,396,491, issued Jul. 19, 2016, the contents of each of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/391,481, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/884,416, filed Jul. 14, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/420,785, filed May 23, 2019, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/176,425,filed Oct. 31, 2018, which claims the benefit of U.S. Patent ProvisionalApplication No. 62/725,855, filed Aug. 31, 2018, the contents of whichare incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/391,481, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/884,416, filed Jul. 14, 2020, which application is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/420,785, filed May 23, 2019, whichis a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/279,685, filed Feb. 19, 2019, and also claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/809,170, filed Feb. 22, 2019, U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/812,153, filed Feb. 28, 2019, and U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/818,440, filed Mar. 14, 2019, thecontents of which are herein incorporated by reference in theirentireties.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/391,481, which is also a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 16/801,513, filed Feb. 26, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/675,341, filed Nov. 6, 2019, which is acontinuation of Ser. No. 16/573,411, filed Sep. 17, 2019, the contentsof each of which are herein incorporated by reference in theirentireties.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/853,545, filed Sep. 14, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,373,138, issued onJun. 21, 2016, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/018,432, filed Feb.8, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,449,338, issued on Sep. 20, 2016, U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/018,457, filed Feb. 8, 2016, now U.S.Pat. No. 9,466,081, issued on Oct. 11, 2016, U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/018,497, filed Feb. 8, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,436,957,issued on Sep. 6, 2016, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/018,514,filed Feb. 8, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,524,519, issued on Dec. 20,2016, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/018,934, filed Feb. 9, 2016,U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/018,923, filed Feb. 9, 2016, nowU.S. Pat. No. 9,430,790, issued on Aug. 30, 2016, the contents of eachof which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods of providing apurchasing experience on a social networking entity in which when aposting, such as a posting transmitted through the social networkingentity to followers of a posting entity or a posting otherwise presentedin connection with the posting entity to viewers on the socialnetworking entity site or application, has a correlation to a productdatabase or catalog from the posting entity. An initiation of apurchasing process for a product in the posting occurs within the socialnetworking entity and in some cases without transitioning the user to aposting entity site. The payment process can also occur for the productvia a messenger application operated by the social networking entity andwithout transitioning the user to the posting entity site.

2. Introduction

This application addresses a number of issues related to simplifying andmanaging on-line purchases of products and navigation between sites onthe Internet. Other issues addressed herein and covered in relatedpatent applications are also discussed. This introduction should not beconsidered as admitting that any concept discussed in this section isprior art.

One problem experienced through on-line purchasing experiences includehow to easily transition a user from a search engine or browser site toa destination site. For example, prior to the present application,advertisements presented in online environments, when interacted with,would transition users to a merchant site for browsing and for theselling process to occur. One effort to make this transition smootherwas provided by the omnikey feature of Safari. Using the omnikeyextension, Safari users type in an indicator of what alternate site theywant to use for processing input. For example, in an input field, a userwould type “amazon headphones” which would instruct the algorithmprocessing the input to search amazon.com for “headphones” and returnthe result. The problem with this approach is that it is likely easierto click on an amazon tab and type “headphones” in the Amazon searchfield than it is to type “amazon” at the beginning of the search.Further, to tell the search engine that the user is not wanting totransition to amazon, the user would have to begin the search with anexclamation point “!” which forces regular searches. Using such afeature where most user input is likely involving regular searchesaccording to the default search engine, might require the user to oftenbegin searches with “!”. Thus, this effort at transitioning users toother sites is still problematic.

An additional issue relates to the long-standing problem of requiringusers to enter payment data such as credit card information and a useraddress when making a purchase. Some sites like Amazon.com provide a“one-click” purchasing option but those simplifications are onlyavailable in the controlled Amazon.com environment. For all othermerchants, users must enter payment data which is cumbersome. Mobileusers outside of Amazon.com still need to include and enter in muchinformation which reduces the number of conversions when makingpurchases on line either on the desktop or mobile devices. Thus,although the Internet and use of applications downloaded on user deviceshave been around for many years, there were still many instances offriction particularly in the context of a user being at one site or inone app and wanting to make a purchase or perform a task which wasultimately handled by a separate site or a separate application.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a number of innovations to address thevarious issues as set forth above. What is needed in the art is animproved approach is to reducing friction particularly in the context oftransitions from a search entity to a merchant site or from a socialnetworking entity to a merchant site.

Disclosed are a number of different innovations which improve thesetypes of transitions and interactions. The disclosure provides a numberof solutions which reduce friction and enable users to performoperations such as entering in a product search at a generalized searchentity and being able to purchase the product while remaining within thegeneralized search entity and without transitioning to a merchant sitethat does not store the user's payment data. Solutions disclosed includethe ability of a social networking entity to receive a posting from amerchant related to a product and when a database of products from themerchant is correlated with the social networking entity, a user isenabled to purchase the product while remaining within the socialnetwork entity and without transitioning to the merchant site whichagain would not likely have stored the payment data for a user. New APIsand processes are introduced which can be built into browser's orsoftware modules configured on user devices for interacting withdownloaded applications which will reduce friction in these paymentprocesses in new ways. Users now will be able to land on any merchantsite that is programmed to interact with such APIs and make easy andfrictionless purchases without even needing to share payment data withthe respective sites. One benefit of this approach is that users do notneed to spread their credit card data across multiple different siteseach of which can be a security risk.

One disclosed solution involves handling payments on-line and in-apps.An example device related to providing an in-app solution can include aprocessor and a computer-readable storage device storing instructionswhich, when executed by the processor, cause the processor performoperations including receiving a request from an application operatingon the device, at a software module configured to receive paymentrequests and manage the receipt and transmission of authorized paymentdata to the application through the use of an application programminginterface that defines a protocol for communicating data between theapplication and the software module. The request can be associated witha payment to the application, or for any kind of data that one desiresto send securely such as healthcare data, personal data, photos, media,blockchain-based data, cryptocurrency data, and so forth. The requestcan include information about the payment or the requested data. Thesoftware module transmits to the application, via the applicationprogramming interface, the authorized data. The software module can beconfigured access, based on the request, the authorized data for thepotential purchase (in the purchase scenario) from the device or thesoftware module and can also interact with a network-based entity toultimately generate the authorized data transmitted to the application.The software module represents a novel approach to providing data to anapplication in ways the enable a simple and easy payment process withoutthe user needing to manually enter payment data. The software module inthe case of an app may or may not control or manage a user interface forviewing the application, but rather can be programmed to manage the flowof payment or other types of communications.

For an on-line approach, an example device includes a processor, acomputer-readable storage device and a browser, the browser configuredto operate on the device, and the browser including an applicationprogramming interface that defines a protocol for communicating databetween a site and the browser. The device includes an authorizationmechanism that receives authorization input from a user of the device inconnection with a potential purchase on the site, wherein the browser,when operating via the processor, is configured to perform operationsincluding receiving, from the site, a request associated with thepotential purchase, wherein the request includes information about thepotential purchase and transmitting, based at least in part on theauthorization input from the user via the authorization mechanism andaccording to the protocol, authorized payment data to the site, whereinthe authorized payment data for the potential purchase is from one ofthe browser, the computer-readable storage device or a network-basedentity separate from the device. The authorization mechanism can includesoftware for asking for a security code via a user interface or acomponent such as a fingerprint reader or facial recognition componentas part of the device.

The term “browser” as used herein can also include a module that managesa user interface which can be any number of types of interfaces, such asfor browsing the Internet, viewing an application, or a user interfaceused to manage a payment process, such as the interface shown in FIGS.17G and 17K, for example. The interface in one aspect presentsinformation for the user to interact with that is local and is not awindow or interface to a URL of a network server, which would be usedfor authorization a payment on the network server.

Solutions disclosed herein also include how users can choose from amonga number of different payment methods when making a purchase. Usersoften have different accounts, credit cards, debit cards, and so forth.

An aspect of this disclosure also relates to transitioning from ageneralized search field to a product purchase and how an improvedprocess can be implemented to achieve a shorter business value chain.Normally, users are transitioned via advertisements to merchant siteswhich can require payment credentials so ultimately make a payment. Thisdisclosure includes several features to improve this process. Forexample, a method includes presenting an input field on a user interfaceof a generalized search entity, wherein the generalized search entityprocesses data using a generalized search engine that indexes andsearches both merchant sites and non-merchant sites, receiving userinput in the input field and determining, via a processor, whether theuser input corresponds to a product in a product database or catalog toyield a determination. When the determination indicates that the userinput does not correspond to the product in the product database orcatalog, the method includes presenting a search result including anon-merchant site, receiving a search interaction associated with thenon-merchant site and transitioning to the non-merchant site. When thedetermination indicates that the user input does correspond to theproduct in the product database or catalog, the method includespresenting a purchase-related search result, wherein thepurchase-related search result is configured such that when a userinteracts with the purchase-related search result and confirms apurchase associated with the purchase-related search result, thegeneralized search entity initiates a purchasing process for theproduct.

From a merchant site standpoint, the method can include providing adatabase of products from a merchant to a generalized search entity andreceiving a payment for a product from the merchant. The product canhave been purchased on-line by a user. In this scenario, the product isfound and purchased by the user on-line by operations performed by thegeneralized search entity in which the operations include presenting aninput field on a user interface, wherein the generalized search entityprocesses data using a generalized search engine that indexes andsearches both merchant sites and non-merchant sites, receiving userinput in the input field, and determining, via a processor, whether theuser input corresponds to a product in the database of products to yielda determination. When the determination indicates that the user inputdoes not correspond to the product in the database of products, themethod includes presenting a search result including a non-merchantsite, receiving a search interaction associated with the non-merchantsite and transitioning to the non-merchant site. When the determinationindicates that the user input does correspond to the product in thedatabase of products, the method includes presenting a purchase-relatedsearch result for the product, wherein the purchase-related searchresult is configured such that when a user interacts with thepurchase-related search result and confirms the payment associated withthe product in the purchase-related search result, the generalizedsearch entity initiates a purchasing process for the product.

Other improvements are disclosed herein as well for managing purchases.One method includes determining, at a site, whether a user accessing thesite via a browser (1) is using one of a first browser or a secondbrowser or (2) can make a purchase using a first account or a secondaccount to yield a determination. Thus, the browser type used can bedetected or the account type of the user can be detected. When thedetermination indicates that the user is using either the first browseror can make the purchase using the first account, the method includes(1) presenting a dynamically modified first buy button which isassociated with the first account, (2) transmitting, to the firstbrowser and via a first browser payment request application programminginterface that defines a protocol for communicating information aboutpurchases between the site and the first browser, a first paymentrequest having first information associated with the purchase from thesite for the user and (3) receiving, from the first browser and via thefirst browser payment request application programming interface, firstdata associated with the first account, the first data being associatedwith processing the purchase.

When the determination indicates that the user is using either thesecond browser or can make the purchase using the second account, themethod includes (1) presenting a dynamically modified second buy buttonwhich is associated with the second account, (2) transmitting, to thesecond browser and via a second browser payment request applicationprogramming interface that defines a protocol for communicatinginformation about purchases between the site and the second browser, asecond payment request having second information associated with thepurchase from the site for the user and (3) receiving, from the secondbrowser and via the second browser payment request applicationprogramming interface, second data associated with the second account,the second data being associated with processing the purchase. The firstbrowser and the second browser can be different browser types.

In another aspect, the method disclosed includes determining whether auser interfacing with a site via a browser can make a payment via afirst browser payment request application programming interface or asecond browser payment request application programming interface toyield a selected browser and a selected browser payment requestapplication programming interface, wherein the selected browser paymentrequest application programming interface defines a protocol forcommunicating data between a site and the selected browser for managingpayments, presenting a dynamically modified buy button that isassociated with the selected browser or a user payment account enabledvia the selected browser, transmitting, in connection with aninteraction with the dynamically modified buy button, a payment requestto the selected browser and via the selected browser payment requestapplication programming interface and receiving, in response to thepayment request, from the selected browser and via the selected browserpayment request application programming interface, payment informationat the site. The dynamically modified buy button can be associated withthe user payment account. Thus, when a user goes to a site to make apurchase, the buy button can dynamically adjust for the payment servicethey use.

This case focuses on how to manage multiple accounts in a browser APIcontext. The method includes, in this aspect, receiving, at a browserand via a browser payment request application programming interface thatdefines a protocol for communicating information about purchases betweena site and the browser, a payment request having data associated with apurchase of a product from the site for a user, presenting via thebrowser or a browser interface, a choice between a first payment methodand a second payment method for purchasing the product, wherein thefirst payment method and the second payment method each include orrequire one of payment data stored on a user device, payment data storedon a network server, and a payment service, receiving a selection of apayment method from the user of one of the first payment method and thesecond payment method to yield a selected payment method and, based onthe selected payment method, and in response to the payment request,transmitting, from the browser and via the browser payment requestapplication programming interface, data associated with the selectedpayment method to the site. This is from the standpoint of the browser.The concept can also be covered from the standpoint of the merchant siteas well as from the standpoint of a payment processor.

Another solution relates to a credential management applicationprogramming interface which enables a site to request via the API userlogin credentials from either a browser or a network-based entity forsimplifying the login process for the user. A method in this regardincludes receiving, from a site, at a browser and via a browsercredential management application programming interface that defines aprotocol for communicating data between the site and the browser forenabling a user to login to the site, a request associated with a logincredential required for the site, retrieving, based on the request, userdata (from the browser and/or from a network entity) and transmitting,to the site, from the browser and via the browser credential managementapplication programming interface, a response to the request. Theresponse can include login credentials for the user, such as one or moreof a username, a password, a code, a fingerprint, and iris scan, or anycombination of this data which can enable the site to log the user inwithout the user needing to manually type in or enter such data.Embodiments of this credential management API can be from the standpointof the browser, from the standpoint of the site, or the standpoint of anetwork entity which stores the user data. One or more APIs could alsobe used in combination to ultimately achieve the passing of logincredentials to the site via an API.

Another solution disclosed herein relates to how to manage a paymentprocess with a payment processor through multiple applicationprogramming interfaces with the browser. A method in this regardincludes receiving input from a user indicating a desire to purchase aproduct from a merchant site (the input can be a click, voice input aspart of a dialog, virtual reality input, or any kind of input) andreceiving, based on the input, at a browser and via a first applicationprogramming interface that defines a first protocol between the browserand the merchant site, a payment request from the merchant site forpayment data of the user for purchasing the product.

In response to the payment request, the method includes communicating,from the browser and via a second application programming interface thatdefines a second protocol for communicating payment information betweenthe browser and a payment service, a payment request event to thepayment service, wherein the payment service can process a payment forthe product based on the payment request event. The method includesreceiving, at the browser and from the payment service and via thesecond application programming interface, a confirmation of the paymentfor the product and communicating, from the browser and via the firstapplication programming interface to the merchant site, the confirmationof the payment for the product. The payment service can be a servicelike Paypal or the like. The approach enables a common interface betweenthe merchant and a payment service utilizing the browser and severalAPIs in a new manner.

The first application programming interface can define the firstprotocol for communicating at least one of payment data and address databetween the browser and the merchant site. The second applicationprogramming interface can include the second protocol for communicatingdata associated with payment of the product between the browser and thepayment service. The payment request further can include a request foran address of the user. Thus, the payment could be performed by thepayment service provider and the address could be provided by thebrowser through the first API.

The method can further include, based on the payment request,transmitting from the browser and through the first applicationprogramming interface, the address of the user to the merchant site foruse in delivering the product to the user. The first applicationprogramming interface can include a browser payment request applicationprogramming interface in that it involves a request from the merchantsite for payment data and/or other data about the user. The secondapplication programming interface can be called a payment handlerapplication programming interface in that it more specifically involvespayment handling by the payment processor. This aspect of the disclosurecan also have embodiments from the standpoint of the merchant as well asfrom the standpoint of the payment processor.

Another solution disclosed herein relates to how to provide a productpurchasing experience within a spoken dialog. An example method in thisregard includes receiving, via a messenger application and as part of adialog between a merchant site and a user, a spoken input from the user,presenting user text associated with the spoken input in the messengerapplication, responding, as part of the dialog and by the merchant site,to the spoken input with a spoken response, presenting response textassociated with the spoken response in the messenger application, andidentifying a product the user desires to purchase from the merchantsite via the dialog. Based on a spoken buy interaction by the user viathe dialog, the method includes receiving, at a browser and via abrowser payment request application programming interface, a paymentrequest, from the merchant site, for payment data of the user forpurchasing the product and, in response to the payment request,communicating, from the browser and via the browser payment requestapplication programming interface, payment information for the user,wherein the merchant site uses the payment information to process apayment for the product. In any place herein where a browser isdescribed for web-based browsing of sites, the principles could alsoapply to a software module operating on a mobile device which cancommunicate with a downloaded application on the device. The appropriateAPIs for managing communications and data flow are similar to the siteto browser flow using a browser-based API.

The method can include receiving, at the browser and via the browserpayment request application programing interface, an address request,from the merchant site, for address data for the user. In response tothe address request, the method can include communicating, from thebrowser and via the browser payment request application programminginterface, the address data for the user to the merchant site. Themerchant site processes the payment using the payment information. Thepayment information can include payment account information for the userthat the merchant site can use to process the payment for the product. Abrowser can present the messenger application to the user. The dialogcould also be a text dialog as well and not a spoken dialog. The methodcould also be claimed from the standpoint of the merchant site.

Other innovations include transitioning techniques from a search fieldto a destination site using a number of solutions, applying abrowser/user interface payment request API to turn any web site or appinto a “one-click” or fewer click purchasing experience than wastraditionally available, as well as other social media innovationsaddress the various issues set forth above, and other issues as well.

Disclosed are a number of different solutions to Internet searching,surfing, and purchasing processes. One aspect of this disclosure appliesto multi-site universal shopping carts and particularly presents asolution that is applicable using a modified version of the browserpayment request application programming interface implemented by W3C. Inone aspect, a method, system or computer readable storage deviceoperates from the standpoint of the browser. The method includesreceiving, via a browser shopping cart application programming interfaceassociated with a browser, first data associated with a first productviewed by a user navigating on a first site using the browser, whereinthe user did not purchase the product on the first site. The first datasuch that it is accessible to the browser. This storage can be with thebrowser, on a user device, or on a network device. The browsing canoccur on a first device as well which can include a mobile device,desktop device, voice interface device, or any device that the user canuse to search generally for content and make purchases. The methodincludes presenting a browser payment interface to the user for managingthe purchase of the second product, the browser payment interface beingassociated with a browser payment request application programminginterface in which payment data for the user is passed from the browserto the second site through the browser payment request applicationprogramming interface. The second site can also be accessed through aseparate device which can be a mobile device, desktop device, voiceinterface device, or any kind of device. The network device cancoordinate the universal shopping cart across the various devices usedby the user. For example, a search entity can identify a first productput into the shopping cart from a first browser search on a mobiledevice and then identify the user using a voice instruction on a seconddevice to identify a second product to put into the shopping cart. Theuser can then purchase both products on either device or at any time.The system can identify the user through voice identification or throughother means to connect the items as being part of the same user shoppingcart. The voice-based device can already be associated with a particularpayment account or can adjust to different payment accounts based onvoice identification. For example, a user at home might put a firstproduct in a universal shopping cart from a desktop computer and then goto a friend's house. Through social networking data or speech/voiceidentification, the user could talk to the voice based device at theirfriends house, which could confirm their identity by asking “Is thisMary Smith?”, at which point the user could add another item to theshopping cart via a voice command and make the purchase of all theitems. Social media data or preferences could connect Mary topotentially using her friend's voice-based device for purchases. Aseparate biometric confirmation could be provided in these scenarios aswell to confirm the purchase is from the proper person. In one example,when Mary goes to her friend's house, a voice-based device or otherdevice can identify her through her mobile phone. Geo-location data canalso be provided based on Mary's location. Based on this data, avoice-based device through a search entity can be configured topotentially expect that Mary may make a shopping request at her friend'shome through the voice-based device. Speech recognition models, speakeridentification models, or any other speech related pre-configurationsthat might need to occur can be initiated or transferred to the localvoice-based device. Thus, when Mary says to the voice-based device,“Please add paper towels to my shopping cart,” the system can recognizeMary's voice, interpret the speech using a tailored speech recognitionmodel, and respond with “OK Mary, the paper towels are in your shoppingcart with the salt and pepper shakers to added yesterday, do you want tocheck out?”.

The method further includes presenting on the browser payment interfaceinformation about the first product and processing a payment of both thefirst product and the second product based on user interaction with thebrowser payment interface or managed through a search entity that hasaccess to payment credentials. The processing of the payment of both thefirst product and the second product can occur using first communicationbetween the browser/device and the first site via the browser paymentrequest application programming interface and second communicationbetween the browser/device and the second site via the browser paymentrequest application programming interface. A network-based entity suchas a search entity can also coordinate the payment to the variousmerchants or the single merchant if multiple products are from a singlemerchant. The difference is that the second site is alreadycommunicating with the browser for the payment process of the secondproduct. The user, however, has navigated away from the first site, so acommunication back to the first site must identify the product as wellas providing payment and/or delivery data to the first site for“reminding” the first site of the previously searched-for product.Processing the payment of both the first product and the second productfurther can include transmitting, through the browser applicationprogramming interface a package of data which enables the first site toprocess the first purchase of the first product. The package of data caninclude payment data for the first site to process the payment for thefirst product and address information associated with the user for thefirst site to deliver the product. The method can also include receivinga confirmation from the user of the purchase of both the first productand the second product utilizing a same set of object interactions usedfor purchasing one product via the browser payment interface. In otherwords, since the user is already in the browser interface for processingthe payment for the second product, the method can include utilizing thesame “one-click” plus perhaps one fingerprint recognition or CVC codeentry, or whatever few steps are utilized for the purchase of the secondproduct, to also process the payment for the first product.

When a network-based entity manages the payment, such as a searchentity, the various merchants can receive respective payments andinstructions to deliver the products to the user at a specified address.The search entity can charge a fee for the service which can beapportioned to the different merchants if more than one merchant hasproducts in the universal cart. The apportionment can be based on therelative cost of each product from the respective merchant.

Processing the payment for the first product and for the second caninclude communicating first information via the browser payment requestapplication programming interface to the first site for completing thepurchase and delivery of the first product from the first site andcommunicating second information via the browser payment requestapplication programming interface to the second site for completing thepurchase and delivery of the second product from the second site.Receiving the first data associated with a first product viewed by auser navigating on a first site using the browser further can includereceiving the first data based on a threshold user interactionassociated with the first product. For example, the user may need to putthe first product in a shopping cart, or click on a button, or view theproduct for a period of time to indicate that there might be apurchasing interest.

The method from the standpoint of the first site can includetransmitting, from the first site and via a browser shopping cartapplication programming interface associated with a browser, first dataassociated with a first product viewed by a user navigating on the firstsite using the browser, wherein the user did not purchase the product onthe first site, wherein the browser can manage storing the first datasuch that it is accessible to the browser and, after the user navigatesaway from the first site to a second site, receiving a package of datafrom a browser payment request application programming interface forprocessing a payment of the first product, wherein the package of dataidentifies the first product and can include payment data associatedwith the user for processing the payment for the first product, whereinthe user confirmed payment for the first product via an interaction witha browser payment interface presented as part of using the browserapplication programming interface to manage a purchase of a secondproduct on the second site. The package of data received at the firstsite further can include address information for the user for deliveryof the first product. The methods can include any communication neededfrom both the first site and the second site to identify paymentmethods, communicate shopping cart and payment capabilities of thebrowser, product data, session data associated with the user's search onthe first site, user data, payment data, delivery data, size data, orany other data associated with processing a payment for the firstproduct or aggregating the first product and the second product into thebrowser payment interface associated with the browser/user interfacepayment request API such that multiple products from different sitesand/or apps can be purchased via a single shopping cart.

When a network-based entity manages the universal shopping cart, themerchants will typically register their products with the entity orregister as merchants such that product search results from searches orvoice requests via a search engine can be used by the user to put aproduct in the universal cart. Products can be placed in the cart acrossmultiple devices and from multiple merchants. The search entity, ornetwork-based entity can manage the payment process across the variousmerchants even when products are placed in the shopping cart frommultiple different devices. The devices can all be coordinated asassociated with the same account or shopping cart or individual. Thecoordination can also occur across multiple locations by identifying auser.

Disclosed also is an approach for managing a transition from the firstsite to a destination merchant site and a deep link state. A methodaspect includes receiving an interaction from a user with an objectassociated with an advertisement for a product or any kind of notice,the advertisement or notice being presented via a first site presentedwithin a browser, and transitioning the user from the first site to adestination merchant site in a deep link state. The transitioningprocess includes retrieving data from the browser and using the datafrom the browser to enable the user to transition from the first site tothe destination merchant site in the deep link state. The deep linkstate enables the user to purchase the product via an interaction with apurchase object without manually entering payment account data or useraddress data. The deep link state can enable a “one click” purchasingexperience after the transition from the first site. The data from thebrowser can be, in one aspect, retrieved via an API between the browserand the destination site or accessed directly. The data can be one ormore of payment data, user data, one-click purchasing data, addressinformation, browser settings, cryptocurrency data, and so forth.

The object can be a buy button. The object also can be presented with anadvertisement in a newsfeed of the user on the first site, such as aFacebook or Instagram newsfeed. The first site can be any kind of siteor application such as a search site, a gaming site, a virtual realityexperience, a merchant site, a media site, an audio site, or a socialnetworking site. The interaction with the purchase object on thedestination merchant site can be a first interaction via the browserafter the interaction with the object. Retrieving data from the browsercan occur automatically via a browser payment request applicationprogramming interface between the destination merchant site and thebrowser. The user can continue to shop on the destination merchant siteprior to providing the interaction with the purchase object to purchasea different product from the destination merchant site. The data fromthe browser can be one or more of: payment data, address data, one-clickpurchasing parameters, user name, login information, registrationinformation, user settings and user profile data. Other data can be usedas well to facilitate a one-click purchasing experience.

The disclosure addresses several other issues as well. For example,there is an issue of enabling users to learn more information about aproduct and ask follow-up questions about the product before completinga purchase. In some cases, a one-click purchase option or buy option maybe for a product that requires some additional data such as a size orcolor or other parameter. The user may have other concerns aboutdelivery, bad publicity, bad reviews, and so forth. In this scenario, auser can be transitioned, based on interacting with an object orotherwise, to a dialog application complete information, resolve userconcerns and commit to the purchase. The transition can be within asingle site such as Facebook (from an advertisement in a news feed to amessenger application) or it could span a number of sites. For example,transitioning to a Facebook Messenger application (or any dialogapplication) could help in completing any purchase if the user hasquestions or needs to make other choices about the product. Thus, thetransition at any site and at any stage of the process to a dialogapplication can occur to help provide further data to the user about apurchase. One example method can include presenting an advertisementwith a payment process initiation object. The payment process initiatingobject can include a link or transition to a dialog application in whichthe user engages in a dialog about the product/item of discussion andcompletes the purchase. The transition and discussion is configured suchthat an easy payment occurs once questions are answered or informationis gathered. The browser API can be deployed in any context and at anystage where a purchase might occur. Any user interface, such as amessenger application, can be considered like a “browser” and can beconfigured to exchange communication with a site to enable thepurchasing experience.

In this regard, an example method includes receiving a posting of anitem through a social networking site, such that the social networkingsite receives and transmits posted items from posting entities toreceiving entities. When the posting is not associated with a productfor purchase in a product database, the method includes transmitting theposting through the social networking site without an option to buy.When the determination indicates that the posting references the productin the product database, and thus indicating a sale-related intent, themethod includes transmitting the posting through the social networkingsite with a payment object or payment initiation object. A paymentprocess initiation object is associated with the product and can includeone of a button, a drop-down menu, or a hyperlink. The social networkingsite receives an interaction associated with the payment processinitiation object, the interaction being performed by a user. Based onthe purchase interaction, the method includes engaging in a dialog withthe user regarding the product as part of a payment process such that ata conclusion of the dialog, the user can complete a purchase of theproduct. In another aspect separate from the dialog context, the system,based on the payment interaction, can transition the user to destinationsite in a deep link state, which can be achieved through accessing datastored within the browser. In another aspect, at the destination site,the user can click on a buy object in the destination site can use thebrowser API to request and retrieve payment information for processing apayment of the product. The product database or inventory can beprovided to the social networking site such that the site can haveaccess to product data and enable purchases of products on the socialnetworking site that are found in postings or profiles and to manage thepurchase process without leaving the social networking environment.

In yet another aspect of this disclosure, when the user engages in thepurchasing interaction, the user can remain at the social networkingsite and not transition away. The social networking site can storepayment data or receive payment data from an API as disclosed herein,and can at least initiate a payment process while on the social mediasite. This of course can be a social networking entity or social mediaentity as well such as an app downloaded on the user device. The socialmedia entity can initiate and manage at least part of the paymentprocess such that the merchant only needs to receive the payment and aconfirmation of the purchase as well as identification information ofthe product and the buyer so that the product can be shipped to thebuyer. This process reduces friction because the user can remain withinthe social media entity and not be transitioned away to the merchantsite only to engage in a complicated payment process. The paymentprocess can also include a cryptocurrency-based payment process from oneparticipant in the social media entity to another participant in thesocial media entity. The method can be considered both from thestandpoint of a social media entity as well as from the standpoint ofthe merchant who is selling products through postings to the socialmedia entity.

When the user transitions to a dialogue as part of a payment process,the method can include, as part of the dialog, receiving a purchasinginteraction from the user and processing the purchase of the productbased on the purchase interaction. Processing the purchase occurs withinone of the social networking site, via a payment agent or via anapplication programming interface between the social networking site anda merchant site selling the product, or between the browser and themerchant site. The social networking site, or the browser, can storepayment data for the user to process the purchase. When the purchaseoccurs via the application programming interface between the socialnetworking site, or the browser, and the merchant site, the socialnetworking site, or the browser, can transmit payment data through theapplication programming interface such that the merchant site canprocess the purchase of the product.

The dialog can enable the user to select a parameter associated with theproduct. Example parameters include one or more of a color, a size, ashape, a configuration, and a technical characteristic. Deliveryoptions, resolving any other concerns, gifting issues, discounts,coupons, and so forth can be managed within the dialog. The paymentprocess initiation object can simply include a buy button or a notice“talk about and buy this item by clicking here”. The dialog can bemanaged between the user and the merchant via a dialog application.Engaging in the dialog can be achieved in one aspect by transitioning toa dialog application that manages the dialog and the purchase of theproduct.

Another issue identified above addressed in the present disclosure usesobjects that are presented when a search begins with a user input fieldon a first site. The new approach improves the mechanism of transferringthe user to a second site. Disclosed is an approach for receiving, via auser interface of a browser, user input in an input field and presentinga first instance of an object in response to the user input. In otherwords, the object does not show on the user interface until a search ordata is entered into the input field. This reduces clutter. The objectis configured such that when a user interacts with the object, the useris transitioned to a second site associated with the object, and theuser input is filled into a second site input field. The user input isprocessed at the second site as though the user entered the user inputinto the second site input field. There is no need for the user to typein “amazon” in the text field to indicate a search at the second site,for example. The input can be analyzed by a system to determine whatobject to present or can always present alternate search modes that theuser can choose from. Referencing the omnikey feature explainedpreviously, the user could add other second sites to transition to, eachwith its necessary key word that instructs the browser where totransition. The problem with this approach is that users would have toremember key words associated with specific websites. “Amazon” is easyto remember but it is a lot of letters to type in. Users could forgetshortcuts (like “wild” for Wikipedia.org), or simply have too many.Thus, the solution disclosed herein eliminates the need to rememberspecific shortcuts and simplifies the process of transitioning userinput from one site to another site through a simple click.

The present disclosure addresses other needs identified above as well.For example, the need to improve the purchasing experience of users onthe Internet is addressed herein. Form filling shopping cart purchasingmodels require too much user input and interaction and reduce the numberof conversions by users actually completing the process to make apurchase. Disclosed is an updated browser having a browser paymentrequest application programming interface for communicating payment databetween the browser and a site for processing payments of purchases andto reduce the number of user interactions needed for a purchasingprocess. The method includes receiving, via the user interface, aninteraction by a user with an object associated with a site, theinteraction indicating a user intent to make a purchase. The methodincludes receiving, based on the interaction and via an applicationprogramming interface, a request from the site for payment data inconnection with the purchase and transmitting, to the site and via theapplication programming interface, the payment data. The payment dataconfirms the purchase or can be used to process or deliver a productassociated with the purchase. The payment data can include any type ofpayment data necessary for processing the purchase. It can include anaccount number, a tokenized version of payment data, addressinformation, preferences, shipping choices, other user data, and soforth.

This application includes the disclosure of buy buttons and APIs forenabling a “one-click” type of purchasing experience that eliminates thepurchasing process from requiring overly burdensome form-filling. Inanother aspect of this disclosure, an API for communicating data betweena browser or agent and a merchant site for pre-filling in fields to makea purchase is disclosed. The process can further be refined to not justinclude filling in pre-set fields but further streamlined to reduce theneed for interactive steps for the user. The API approach can providethe merchant site with data that can be more advanced than merelyautomatically filling in a form that is the same form a user wouldmanually have to input. A method includes presenting an input field on auser interface of a generalized search entity, such that the generalizedsearch entity processes data using a generalized search engine. Thesearch engine indexes and searches both merchant sites and non-merchantsites and receives user input in the input field. The user inputincludes a text-based query, and the search engine correlates thetext-based query with a product database of products for sale frommerchants to produce a correlation. Based on the correlation, adetermination is made that the user input is associated with one of asearch intent and a purchase intent. When the determination indicatesthe search intent, a search result is presented that includes anon-merchant site. A search interaction associated with the non-merchantsite is received, and a transition to the non-merchant site isperformed. When the determination indicates the purchase intent, apurchase-related search result including a buy option associated withthe user input is presented. The purchase-related search result isconfigured such that when a user interacts with the purchase-relatedsearch result and confirms a purchase via interacting with the buyoption, the generalized search engine (or some other payment service)participates in processing a purchase of an item, and receiving aninteraction associated with the purchase-related search result.

The method can further include receiving an interaction with the buyoption and managing the purchase of the item based on paymentinformation stored at the generalized search entity (or some otherpayment service). Delivery of the item is handled via a merchant siteseparate from the generalized search entity. The generalized searchengine (or browser) participates in processing the purchase of the itemby receiving a request for payment data from a merchant site via anapplication programming interface and transmits the payment data to themerchant site such that the merchant site can process the purchase ofthe item. A browser, through the browser API, can also coordinate with aseparate payment service that can generate tokens or perform some partof the process and provide information back to the browser, forcommunicating back to merchant site via the browser API.

In another aspect, a method includes presenting an input field on a userinterface, such that the input field is associated with processing datausing a generalized search engine. The search engine indexes andsearches both merchant sites and non-merchant sites and receives userinput in the input field The user input includes a text-based query andthe search engine correlates the text-based query with a productdatabase of products for sale from merchants. A correlation is made andthe search engine determines, via a processor and based on thecorrelation, if the user input is associated with one of a search intentand a purchase intent. When the determination indicates the searchintent, a search result is presented that includes a non-merchant site,a search interaction associated with the non-merchant site is receivedand transitioning to the non-merchant site is performed. When thedetermination indicates the purchase intent, a purchase-related searchresult associated with the user input is presented that is based on aninteraction from a user with the purchase-related search result whichresults in a presentation of a buy button. A purchase of an itemassociated with the buy button is managed, at least in part, byreceiving a request for payment data through an application programminginterface. Based on the request, the payment data is transmitted via theapplication programming interface to a merchant site for processing thepurchase of the item. The method can include transitioning to themerchant site associated with the buy button based on the interactionfrom the user, such that the merchant site processes the purchase of theitem based on the payment data transmitted to the merchant site.

Yet another aspect relates to processing from the browser or searchengine side when communicating payment data via an API to a merchantsite. The method includes presenting, on a graphical user interface, apresentation, the presentation being received from a site over anetwork. It includes receiving, via the user interface and from a user,an interaction with the presentation and receiving, via an applicationprogramming interface, a request from the site for payment account datafor the user. The method also includes transmitting, to the site and viathe application programming interface, the payment account data, suchthat the payment account data can be used to populate payment fields forpayment processing on the site, or perform more advanced processingusing the payment data to simplify the user interaction. Thepresentation can include one of a product for purchase and a service.The method can include enabling the site to process a payment for anitem or a service using the payment account data for the user to makethe payment. The graphical user interface can be associated with abrowser or an application. In one aspect, the API communicates databetween the site (merchant site) and a browser that can store thepayment account data for the user.

The method can further include updating the presentation to include abuy option which is configured, based on a confirmation from the user,to enable the site to utilize the payment account data received throughthe API to process a purchase of an item or service without a need ofthe user to fill in the payment fields on the site. The browser or otheragent communicating via the API can also provide the graphic for a “paynow” type of button to integrate with site graphics. The payment accountdata can further include one or more of address data for the user, apayment account number, an expiration date, a security code, acardholder name and shipping instructions for the user. In one aspect,the payment account data can include multiple methods of payment such asmultiple credit cards, for example.

The request through the API can further include one or more of asupported payment method for the site, a total amount value for apurchase, items that may be displayed for purchase, shipping options,payment modifiers, a request for a user email address, a request for auser's phone number, and a request to update information. A user agentsimilar to or separate from the browser can communicate the paymentaccount data between the application programming interface and the site.

In another aspect, the method includes the concept from the standpointof the site. The method in this context includes transmitting, forviewing on a graphical user interface, a presentation, the presentationbeing transmitted from a site over a network to a device having thegraphical user interface, and receiving, via the network and from auser, an interaction with the presentation. The method includestransmitting, to an application programming interface, a request forpayment account data of the user, and receiving, at the site and via theapplication programming interface, the payment account data andpopulating payment data fields associated with a payment process withthe payment account data for the user to yield populated payment datafields. The site can process a payment for an item or a service usingthe payment account data for the user. The payment data can be atokenized packet of data for a one-time payment process. The API cancoordinate data between the browser and the site such that the browserstores the payment account data for the user. Upon receiving aconfirmation from the user to make a purchase of an item or serviceassociated with the presentation, the method can include processing apayment for the product using the received data.

The method can further include, upon receiving the payment account data,updating the presentation to include a buy option which is configured,based on a confirmation from the user, to enable the site to utilize thepayment account data to process a purchase of a product or servicewithout a need of the user to manually fill in the payment data fieldson the site. The payment account data can further include one or more ofa token, an address data for the user, a payment account number, anexpiration date, a security code, a cardholder name and shippinginstructions for the user. The presentation can further include one ormore of a supported payment method for the site, a total amount valuefor a purchase, items that may be displayed for purchase, shippingoptions, payment modifiers, a request for a user email address, arequest for a user's phone number, and a request to update information.A user agent can also communicate the payment account data between theapplication programming interface and the site. In another aspect, amethod includes presenting, on a graphical user interface, apresentation, the presentation being received from a site over a networkand receiving, via the user interface and from a user, an interactionwith the presentation The method includes receiving, via an applicationprogramming interface, a request from the site for payment account datafor the user, autopopulating a payment field associated with thepresentation with the payment account data and transmitting, to the siteand via the application programming interface, the payment account data.The site can process a payment based on the payment account data for theuser. The method can also include receiving a confirmation from the userof a purchase after the payment field is autopopulated.

The present disclosure also addresses the problem of managing a useraccount of on-line purchases, such as is offered by amazon.com, butexpanded to correlate purchases across multiple different venues such asgoogle.com, facebook.com, amazon.com, and so forth. Disclosed is an APIthat is designed to communicate information to and from multipledifferent types of sites that currently manage purchases individually.For example, the API can receive conversion data about purchases madethrough the Google Buy Button (Purchases on Google), the Facebook BuyButton, the Pinterest Buy Button, Amazon.com purchases, and so forth. Apurchase management engine receives the various pieces of data andcorrelates the data into a single user account that spans multiplepurchasing platforms. The account can be stored on a blockchain as well.The present approach differs from the amazon.com user account because itis maintained only for purchases made at amazon.com and not forpurchases from different types of sites such as google.com orfacebook.com. However, the correlated data could be transmitted to aninterface like amazon.com such that in addition to all of the advantagesof managing purchases on amazon.com, the user account of amazon.com canalso be populated with google.com, facebook.com, instagram.com,pinterest.com, youtube.com, and other site purchases. The completecorrelated data can actually be presented at any of the traditionalnon-merchant sites, individual merchant sites (like walmart.com orwidgets.com) as well as amazon.com. The way the correlated data ispresented is user-definable as it is with amazon.com with addition offeatures that are not contemplated by amazon.com, such as which buybutton site the purchase was made from. Thus, the user interface couldpresent products purchased from google.com, followed by facebook.com,followed by amazon.com.

Thus, the concepts disclosed herein expand upon the “micro-moments” frominvolving just the moment when someone wants to make a purchase butexpands the opportunity. The micro-moment a user may experience canperhaps be a desire to cancel a purchase made the previous day, or tobuy another product like the one purchase yesterday. In this manner,through a drop-down menu on a site, or positioned near a buy option, thesystem can present a “user account” access option which enables the userto access their account and make further changes/modifications. Becauseof the correlation and the API, the modifications can easily be madeacross all platforms. Thus, on one user interface, the user could buy anextra widget in addition to the one purchased via Google's Buy Buttonthe day before, as well as cancel the purchase made that morning viaFacebook.

Because the purchases described above are often coordinated between asite (Google, Facebook, Apple Pay, Android Pay, Samsung Pay, etc.), themerchant (which may or may not handle the payment but typically handlesthe delivery) and a delivery service (Federal Express, UPS, etc.) thepresent API will interface with multiple different sites and serviceproviders as necessary to coordinate whatever action needs to takeplace. Thus, one or more of the following actions can be divided up oneither side of the API between the purchase management engine, amerchant, amazon.com (or the like), and the buy button site (Google,Facebook, Instagram, etc.): (1) processing an additional purchase; (2)canceling a purchase; (4) implementing a buy it again choice; (5)providing a return of the product; (6); writing a product review; (7);tracking a package; (8) altering a delivery schedule; (9) changing apayment method; (10) lodging a complaint; and (11) transmitting anotification of any action taken to one or more of the buyer, arecipient, a merchant, a delivery provider, a buy button site, and more.

The product management engine can coordinate the various actions thatneed to take place across the different platforms. Thus, if a user, viaa Facebook site, goes to their user account and cancels a purchase, theproduct delivery engine can coordinate the various actions such asnotifying the merchant, the site, the delivery service, and so forth, toimplement the action.

In another aspect, knowledge and data that is gained through managementof products via the product management engine can be provided further toadvertisers who can then more intelligently provide advertisements orbuy button options through any of the sites. Additionally, data can beshared with friends or associates through social networking sites if auser permits it. For example, data about what size or color of an item aparticular person usually purchases for themselves can be shared forfuture gifting opportunities. Friends or associates on social networkscan use the product management engine to determine if a user haspurchased a particular item in the past to avoid duplicating an item asa gift. For example, a user can query the engine to determine if hisfriend Bob has purchased any Lego sets in the past year. A decision topurchase a Lego set as a gift for Bob can be made after the queryresults are received.

The “account button” from which a user can access the user account canalso be presented creatively to the user. For example, when a buy buttonis presented as disclosed herein, a “manage purchases” or the like canbe presented as well. Such a button can also be offered one or morelayers into the process. For example, often when a buy option isinteracted with, the user is presented with more details about aproduct, information about the merchant selling the product, and anopportunity to buy through the buy option (using purchase accountinformation stored elsewhere from the merchant site as disclosedherein). At this stage (after interacting the buy option but beforeactually converting into a complete purchase), the “manage purchases”option can be presented as the user is known to be in the mode ofconsidering a purchase and they may want to check/manage their purchasehistory. Information from their purchase account can also be used toperhaps tailor the advertisements or presentation of the response totheir interaction with the buy option.

Other innovations disclosed herein include a cross site shopping cartthat utilizes a browser API for storing shopping cart entries acrossmultiple website for making aggregated purchases. This approach canreduce, for example, three different purchases across three differentsites and/or apps, each of which might use a separate one-clickpurchasing approach via the browser/user interface payment request API,into an aggregated single one click purchasing process using acombination of a browser shopping cart API and the browser/userinterface payment request API.

Yet another innovation includes applying the browser/user interfacepayment request API in other contexts such as virtual reality, mediaviewing, and so forth. Any user interface can be considered a browserand the basic structure and protocols of the browser/user interfacepayment request API can also be implemented in other scenarios such thatone click purchasing opportunities can be made available.

It is noted that all the discussion herein about browser APIs forcommunicating with sites can also be applied in terms of the basicfunctionality to a software module that is programmed to interface withan application on a user device. In one aspect, the browser applicationprogramming interface provides communication between a browser and asite outside of the visual experience of using the browser. In otherwords, payment data or other data can be passed to the site without theuser seeing an input field or typing the data in. In the app scenario, abrowser might not be used to view the app as the visual aspects of theexperience are built into the application itself. In that case, asoftware module that may or may not control some aspects of a visualexperience with the application can be programmed to perform all of thefunctionality disclosed herein with respect to payments, clothing orbody models, etc. The application communicates with the software modulein the same or similar basic way as the site communicates with thebrowser in that scenario.

Any concept disclosed herein for passing payment information can also beapplicable to any other type of information that one can authorize to besent, such as health care information, body shape information, personalinformation, pictures, media, documents, and so forth. The paymentmechanisms can be also utilized to authorize transmission of any kind ofdata from one device to any other device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a system architecture;

FIG. 2A illustrates an example search field;

FIG. 2B illustrates an example method for processing user input;

FIG. 3 illustrates a drop-down and drop up menu according to an aspectof this disclosure;

FIG. 4A illustrates a first example resulting interface according to anaspect of this disclosure;

FIG. 4B illustrates a second example resulting interface according to anaspect of this disclosure;

FIG. 4C illustrates a method example for providing a payment optionthrough a spoken dialog;

FIG. 5 illustrates a method example for presenting a one-click purchaseoption relating to a search input;

FIG. 6 illustrates another graphical resulting interface in response toreceived user input;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example system example;

FIG. 8 illustrates an example method example for processing a selectionfrom a user;

FIG. 9 illustrates a user interface associated with an example;

FIG. 10 illustrates a method example for executing an action based oninput directed to a user interface integrated from another source;

FIG. 11 illustrates an example method example for a modifiable entrybutton;

FIG. 12A illustrates an example modifiable entry button;

FIG. 12B illustrates input into an input field with a modifiable entrybutton;

FIGS. 12C and 12D illustrate various changes and modifications thatoccur as a user types into an input field;

FIG. 12E illustrates a method aspect of modifications that occur as theuser types in input;

FIG. 12F illustrates another method aspect of modifications that occuras the user types in user input;

FIG. 13 illustrates an example user interface;

FIG. 14A illustrates an example method example for operation of a searchapplication programming interface (API);

FIG. 14B illustrates another example method for operation of a searchapplication programming interface (API) from a search engine side of theprocessing;

FIG. 14C illustrates another example method for operation of a searchapplication programming interface (API) from a merchant side of theprocessing;

FIG. 15 illustrates communications via an application programminginterface (API);

FIG. 16 illustrates an example method example for an example modifiedbrowser interface;

FIG. 17A illustrates an example browser interface;

FIG. 17B illustrates an example interface with prepopulated tabs;

FIG. 17C illustrates an example method;

FIG. 17D illustrates another example method;

FIG. 17E illustrates a method of using the browser API;

FIG. 17F illustrates another method for using the browser API;

FIG. 17G illustrates a user interface for the browser API;

FIG. 17H illustrates another user interface for the browser API;

FIG. 17I illustrates a persistent browser shopping cart API;

FIG. 17J illustrates a method for a shopping cart browser API;

FIG. 17K illustrates an interface for a shopping cart;

FIG. 17L illustrates a method embodiment for a cross-site shopping cart;

FIG. 17M illustrates a method embodiment from the standpoint of a site;

FIG. 18A illustrates an example architecture for pre-populating amerchant shopping cart and use of the browser API;

FIG. 18B illustrates a method embodiment for the browser API;

FIG. 18C illustrates yet another method embodiment for the browser API;

FIG. 18D illustrates another embodiment of using two APIs for managing apayment process from the standpoint of the browser;

FIG. 18E illustrates another embodiment of using two APIs for managing apayment process from the standpoint of the payment processor;

FIG. 18F illustrates another embodiment of using two APIs for managing apayment process from the standpoint of the merchant site;

FIG. 18G illustrates another method embodiment for multiple paymentmethod choices;

FIG. 18H illustrates a credential management API embodiment;

FIG. 19A illustrates example user interfaces for a pre-populatedmerchant shopping cart;

FIG. 19B illustrates an approach to personalizing a site;

FIG. 19C illustrates the approach to personalizing a site;

FIG. 19D is a method embodiment related to personalizing a site;

FIG. 20A illustrates an example method relating to pre-populating amerchant shopping cart;

FIG. 20B illustrates an example method for transitioning from a firstsite to a merchant entity site and a deep link state;

FIG. 20C illustrates another example method for transitioning from afirst site to a merchant site and a deep link state from the standpointof the merchant site;

FIG. 20D illustrates an example method from a standpoint of a merchantsite for receiving a transition from a first site;

FIG. 21 illustrates a method example for determining user intent as oneof a generalized non-purchasing search or a search with intent topurchase;

FIG. 22 illustrates some of the components that can be used with themethod example shown in FIG. 21 ;

FIG. 23 illustrates a method example for an application-based searchportal instead of a search via a website;

FIG. 24 illustrates a method example for selecting a transition typebetween interfaces;

FIG. 25 illustrates a method example for presenting advertisements;

FIG. 26 illustrates a method example for presenting miniature versionsof destination websites;

FIG. 27 illustrates a user interface with various destination sites in apreprocessed state;

FIG. 28A illustrates another method example;

FIG. 28B illustrates yet another example method;

FIG. 29 illustrates another method aspect;

FIG. 30 illustrates a Facebook method example;

FIG. 31 illustrates a Pinterest type social media method example;

FIG. 32 illustrates an example environment for a purchase manager;

FIG. 33 illustrates a further interaction between the purchase managerand various entities;

FIG. 34A illustrates a buy now advertisement with a manage purchaseaccess button;

FIG. 34B illustrates an account interface for a purchase manager;

FIG. 35 illustrates another example of an account interface for thepurchase manager;

FIG. 36A illustrates another method example;

FIG. 36B illustrates a method example related to social media;

FIG. 36C illustrates another method example related to social media;

FIG. 37 illustrates a method example of modifying a buy button based ona browser type or account type; and

FIG. 38 illustrates another example of modifying a buy button.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following disclosure describes a number of different innovationsrelated to simplifying online purchases, simplifying navigation on theInternet, providing a unified input search field, providing a browserpayment request application programming interface for improvedpurchasing experiences, and improving social media networks, as well asother innovations. Accordingly, the disclosure will step from oneinnovation to another and any individual feature can be utilized inconnection with any other feature or example.

Various examples of the disclosure are described in detail below. Whilespecific implementations are described, it should be understood thatthis is done for illustration purposes only. Other components andconfigurations may be used without parting from the spirit and scope ofthe disclosure. When specific method examples are discussed, the varioussteps of the method examples can be implemented in different orders,combinations, or permutations, including additional steps, or excludingspecific steps.

A first innovation that is discussed is the concept of a unified inputsearch field which improves searching functionality on the Internet. Asystem, method and computer-readable storage devices are disclosed whichunify access to multiple websites or other information sources such thata user only needs to visit one location, and utilize one input searchfield to achieve a number of different potential results such asperforming a search or purchasing a product. That one location can be aweb site, a search bar in a web browser, an application on a desktop,laptop, smartphone, tablet, or other mobile device, etc. Rather thannavigating to a website to perform a search in the context of thatwebsite, a user can instead navigate to or open a generalized searchfield. The search field can provide access to a search engine thatcrawls and indexes other websites at a large scale, such as the searchengines provided by Google™, Yahoo™, or Bing™. In one example, “at alarge scale” can mean crawling and indexing at least 25,000 differentdomains. The search field can be applied to larger or smaller crawlingdomains. Thus, the generalized search engine can provide a primaryfunction of serving results in response to search queries, whilesimultaneously providing a secondary function of identifying searchesthat may indicate a user's intent to make a purchase and providing quickand easy access for the user to act on that intent.

Via the generalized search field, the system can implicitly orexplicitly process and analyze the input from the user and the resultingcontext. The system can also analyze, based on a corpus of existingcontext for the user, such as recently viewed or opened web pages andrecent actions the user has performed on the computing device. Recentactions can include calendar information for the user, location data,recent purchases or other transactions, social networking data includingposts, messages sent to friends, birthdays of friends, videos viewed onYouTube and so forth. The system can incorporate, as a data source, anyinformation that can provide direct or indirect context forunderstanding or processing the input. For example, previous searchhistory or purchasing history can provide direct context, while socialmedia posts of friends of the user can provide indirect context.

Thus, the user goes to the website second, after the search is entered.This approach reduces the number of interactions, starting when the useropens a browser or application, to get to a webpage to make a purchaseor a webpage of search results.

In another aspect, drop-down or drop “up” menus provide a much more richopportunity for processing options such as one-click purchases orsearching particular websites such as eBay® using the text input assearch data. These drop-down or drop “up” menus can be based on thelocation of the search input box, a search button, or some other elementin the user interface. Selectable objects can be presented in a firstinstance after users enter input, and the object can be presentedanywhere on the user interface. In yet another aspect, the generalizedsearch field can still provide ‘traditional’ search results from one ormultiple search sources, but can present, in addition to the traditionalsearch results, one-click actions that the user can use, for example, tomake a purchase directly from the listing of search results.

In another aspect, the system can take into account such data as weatherconditions, capability of delivery infrastructure to perform asexpected, product availability, predictive analysis of delivery or othercapabilities, and make decisions regarding how to present differenttypes of advertisements. For example, if there is a snow storm anddelivery is likely to be delayed, the system may be adjusted to notpresent one-click or any certain type of advertisement as the userexperience may not be what is expected. When triggering or data pointchanges, the system can return to sending that advertisement type inresponse to user input. Dynamic algorithms can be applied to determinewhen to present a certain set of advertisements in response to ageneralized search and that match or correlate to any number of factors.

The present disclosure overcomes the above-indicated deficiencies incurrent search implementations by providing a unified search field thatenables a user to provide user input and achieve, in very few steps, oneof a set of goals, such as completing a purchase, executing a search,executing a program, or interacting with an online service. The user canprovide the user input as text, or in any other suitable form includingmultimodal input, gesture input, voice input, etc. When the disclosurerefers to “input text” or “text” from the user, it is understood thatthe input can be provided as text or via some other input modality. Thesystem can process the user input using traditional options such as aweb search, but additionally, the system can process the user input toidentify, present, and/or execute purchasing options or more focusedsearching options on other websites. The system can present theseoptions in a tag cloud or drop-down or drop up or drop sideways menus asthe flexibility of the processing of the user input expands. Purchaserelated search results might be partially presented with the user makingselections to view more of the search results including tailored resultswhich can be purchased without leaving the search engine environment orthe search entity environment. In other words, the user is nottransitioned to a merchant site but can view and purchase the in anadvertisement all within a search entity environment using payment datastored with the search entity.

The basic concept according to a first example is illustrated below.Assume that an example website www.one-search.com includes a userinterface with an input field or search field. The input field can be atext input field or can be a voice input field that utilizes speechrecognition to populate the field with text from recognized speech, forexample. The field can be a browser search field. The field is not justa search field but is a more generic input field from which multiplefunctions can be performed based on a determined intent of the inputprovided by the user. The search field is different from other searchfields in how the www.one-search.com search field processes input.Usually, a person goes to a webpage, then searches, or chooses a searchwebsite, and then the search field is conditioned with a particularwebsite context for searching. In this disclosure, the search context isopen when the user enters data into the generalized input field. Thereis no presumption or setting that it will be a Google search, or anAmazon search. The resulting context will be dependent on an analysis ofthe input. The user interface can include a number of different searchor processing buttons, each of which can expand the types of processingto perform on the input text. Different types of the buttons can includea Google search button, an Amazon search button, an Amazon one-clickpurchasing button, and an Apple.com purchasing button. The system canestablish and provide the various button types in advance.Alternatively, a user can set up a collection of personalized buttonsfor tasks that the user desires or expects to perform with someregularity. The system can generate and present these buttons based ongeneral search and activity trends of users, current promotions,advertisers paying for placement, and so forth. In place of or inaddition to buttons, as the user types input into the field, the systemcan present “peeks” into various webpages which can be destinations forthe users whether it is a search result, a purchase, an auction, or anyother website destination. In this regard, rather than go to the websitefirst, and then enter a search into a search field, this disclosurefocuses on entering data in a general input field and then going to thewebsite, or making the purchase, and different ways of processing thatmore improved input. In one aspect, an object is presented only afteruser starts to type in data in an input field. Introducing objects inthe first instance, such as in a drop-down menu, after the user startsto type can reduce the clutter on the user interface and providemultiple options to be selected in a menu which would not be feasible topresent on the user interface prior to the user entering input.

It is presumed, such as in the case of Amazon or an auction web site,that when the user navigates to one-search.com, that user information,debit/credit card information, address information, etc., is stored in auser profile and available, as in the case of a registered user atAmazon.com. For example, as part of a registration or enrollmentprocess, the user can establish an account with one-search.com, andauthenticate or provide credentials to link the one-search.com accountwith accounts at other websites. So, as part of creating an account withone-search.com, the user can provide credentials for Google.com,Amazon.com, ebay.com, newegg.com, thinkgeek.com, andcheaperthandirt.com. Alternatively, the user can ‘link’ the accountswithout providing credentials. For example, the user can authorizeAmazon to share all or part of the user's information associated withhis or her Amazon profile without providing the Amazon credentials toone-search.com. The link or correlation can also include a productinventory database from a merchant to the search entity for coordinatingpurchases from search inquiries while remaining within the search entityenvironment.

Then, when the user performs searches at one-search.com, the system canuse the existing linked accounts to generate one-click actions, orone-function (speech, gesture, multimodal input, etc.) actions. Forexample, one-search.com can perform a purchasing action when the userinteracts with a presented buy option. The user can then manage linkedaccounts via a user portal or user management interface, to linkadditional accounts, update credentials, remove linked accounts, ormanage which portions of the linked accounts are shared withone-search.com. Some websites may not require a linked account, but canstill be incorporated into the one-search.com search field. This can beaccomplished by processing a payment for an item associated with thatmerchant via the one-search.com registered account and enabling themerchant to handle the delivery. Some e-commerce sites allow purchaseswith a guest account, in which case a one-search.com action can includenavigating to the e-commerce site, adding a desired item to the cart,providing sufficient information about the user, such as paymentinformation, a delivery address, etc., to complete the purchase. Inanother example, some websites, such as a search engine, can be enhancedwhen linked to an account, but do not require a linked account. In thesesituations, the user can decide whether to link an existing account withthe search engine for processing purchases, or whether to use the searchengine without a linked account.

The one-search.com website can inspect and use browser cookies fromother sites to glean user data, glean search history, or any otherinformation stored in or made available via cookies. User payment andaddress information, as well as any other type of data, can be stored ina browser or capable of being accessible by a browser. The system can,for example, use a session cookie to determine that a user has or had anactive session with a particular website, and can use information in thesession cookie to construct a URL for a one-click page to execute apurchase in response to user provided input. Alternatively, the systemcan use the live session to navigate the website, add a desired item toa shopping cart, populate payment and shipping information on behalf ofthe user, and present to the user the final stage in the checkoutprocess so the user can simply click once on a “submit order” button, orhit “enter” in the one-search.com unified input field to complete thepurchase. In this way, the number of steps from search to purchase (orfrom search to performing some other action), is drastically reduced.While many of the examples provided herein discuss making a purchase,the principles disclosed herein can be applied to other, non-purchasetransactions as well. For instance, in much the same way that the systemcan navigate to a website, populate a shopping cart with an item, andfill in shipping and payment information on behalf of the user, thesystem can also navigate to some other web site for a result thatrequires a set of information to be provided. If the user enters thetext “Why did my credit score just drop?” in the input field, the systemcan identify one of the major credit reporting bureaus, a third-partycredit report aggregation service, or a free credit report site. Thesystem can automatically provide the necessary information, on behalf ofthe user, to get to the credit score information, and present that pageas a potential result or as an option in response to the user input.Another example can include a user inputting the text “blood sugar” inthe input field. The system can automatically log in to an establishedhealthcare related user account such as Microsoft HealthVault, andreturn blood sugar levels from recent lab reports to the user as apotential result in response to the user input. Many similar tasks onthe World Wide Web require navigation from one page to the next to thenext, and input in response to various questions. The one-search.comsystem can shorten or automate the input required from the user tonavigate through these series of web pages to obtain a desired piece ofinformation, a desired action, or a desired outcome.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system architecture 100 that enables a user 104 toinput information into a one search system such that the time requiredfor a user to navigate through a series of webpages to complete anonline purchase is reduced. The user can interact with a one searchserver 102, or with a browser interface, via any computer or electronicdevice such as a smartphone 106. Once the user inputs information forsearching via the device, the information is transmitted 108 to the onesearch server. The server can then transmit 112 the user input to avariety of websites 110, such as Amazon, Wal-mart and Target, forexample. Each of the sources 110 can perform a query or lookup to searchfor the user input within its website and can return information relatedto the user input such as the price of an item, to the server. In asimilar manner, the server can return information related to the inputback to the user, so the user can make a quicker, more informed decisionabout a specific item to purchase, for example.

FIG. 2A depicts an example search or input field. In this initialexample, the user enters a term in the input field 202 of one-search.com200, such as “iPhone 5S 32 GB silver.” The search field can be on anysite or can be a browser search field. At this point, the user can clickon any number of options for processing the input, such as a Googlesearch 204, an Amazon.com one-click purchase button 206, or anAmazon.com search button 208. In this example, the user clicks on theAmazon.com one-click purchasing button 206. Thus, from this field, thesystem receives that input, processes the input, and can execute apurchase, just as though the user had navigated through Amazon.com to aniPhone 5S, having 32 GB of storage, and a silver color, and had justclicked on the one-click purchase button. However, in this firstexample, the user did not need to navigate to Amazon.com but rather wasable to make a one-click purchase from a separate website, namely theone-search.com website, or a browser interface. In one aspect, the userdoes not even need to click a particular button and can instead simplyhit “enter” as the user would to execute a normal search request. Fromthat, the system can analyze the text input to determine if aprobability of the user desiring to make a one-click purchase is above acertainty threshold, and the system can then process an “enter” input asa request to execute a purchase.

The system can process the input according to the button clicked, asthough the user entered the text into an input directly at Amazon.com orGoogle.com and simply clicked search. If the user clicked a Googlesearch 204, then the system would return search results from Google, butcould similarly provide search results from Bing, Yahoo, or some othersearch engine. In one aspect, the system can transfer the user toGoogle.com, cause a search to be performed using the user's searchinput, and present the results as though the user had initially done thesearch at Google.com. In another aspect, the system can generate a URLat google.com as if the user had performed the search using the user'ssearch input, and open that URL at google.com for the user. If the userselects a one-click purchase 206, then the system processes a purchaseand delivery of the item through Amazon.com as though the user hadnavigated via Amazon.com to the item and made the purchase. In otherwords, the functionality of the “enter” button can be modified(dynamically, and several times) based on an analysis of the user input.Based on a variety of factors, the initial default might be a purchasecontext, but after the user begins entering data, the context may changeto a web search, and then finally when the user is finished enteringinput, the “enter” button may cause processing associated with mapping,or simply a purchase context.

If the user selects an Amazon.com search 208, then the system returns aview of the search results on Amazon.com for that phrase. In otherwords, the user could be transferred to Amazon.com, logged into theiraccount or joined into an existing session for the account, andpresented with a screen which is the equivalent (or essentially orfunctionally equivalent) of the state as though the user had searchedAmazon.com for “iPhone 5S 32 GB silver.” In another aspect, the systemwill access data stored within the browser to facilitate the transitionfrom the search field to Amazon.com in a deep link state, such that theuser can simply click on the one click purchasing button and purchasethe item. From that state, the user could peruse the returned list ofitems and then perhaps choose an item, at which point the user could“one-click” purchase an iPhone. Transitioning a user deep into aseparate site preprocessed to a certain state can be called a deep link.This is where a user is not transferred to the top level, or home page,of a website (such as to www.amazon.com or www.merchant.com). Instead,the transition is preprocessed such that the user is taken to a deeperportion of the site such as a second or a third level of a website. Oneexample of a transition to a lower level, or deeper portion in a websiteis www.merchant.com/products/hats/greenhat. The user is transitioned toa fourth level within the website instead of the top level, or homepage. In this case, the user can more quickly complete a purchase. As isshown in FIG. 18A, data (payment data, user data, one-click settings,address data, registration data, etc.) from a browser 1806 can beaccessed as part of the transition to enable the landing on the merchantsite 1816 in the deep link state such that the next interaction can be asingle click interaction.

Indeed, in one example, the system can redirect the user to Amazon.com(or navigate to Amazon.com on behalf of the user) in the same manner asif the user had started at Amazon.com and entered the search terms. Inthis case, the algorithm of one-search.com would receive the searchinput, receive the desired instruction from the user (by clicking on theAmazon.com search button) and transition the user to Amazon.com. Userregistration information or web browsing state information stored in acookie or elsewhere or sent via XML can also be read or transferred suchthat the user is logged into their Amazon.com account in the transition.Data can be stored with one-search.com or with a browser or app. Theresult of this process is that when the user opens a browser to startbrowsing the Internet, the system enables the user to initiate anynumber of searches, purchases, or other actions via a single, unifiedinput field that requires fewer clicks or user input to get to searchresults, or to make a purchase.

Further, the standpoint of a search field on a browser and how thesystem transitions the user from the browser search field to adestination site, the browser functionality can be native to the browseritself, or may be enhanced or enabled by a plug-in or extensiondeveloped in connection with the destination site. For example,Wikipedia, eBay, Amazon, a search engine, and so forth might develop inconnection with the browser entity an extension in which through an APIor some other means the browser communicates data to the destinationsite in order to facilitate the transition. For example, Amazon.com mayprovide an installable extension of an Amazon assistant which, wheninstalled with a browser, enables the communication of user informationto Amazon.com such that the functionality described herein can beachieved. The extension enhances the functionality of the browser andbecomes part of the browser. The browser performs the process ofreceiving user input in an input field, and based on the user input,presents a drop-down menu (or object somewhere on the interface) inwhich a first instance of a selectable object is presented, the objectbeing associated with a destination site. Upon receiving an interactionwith the object from the user, the user is automatically transitioned tothe destination site. The destination site is preconfigured to a statewhich is the equivalent of the user having entered the user input into adestination site input field. The user is transitioned to that resultingstate at the destination site. In some cases, like with Amazon.com,information can be communicated to the destination sites if the user isalso logged in to the destination site and if appropriate, the state canbe configured such that a product associated with user input can bepresented. The user can click on a “buy now” button and make a purchasewithout interrupting user interaction with the destination site. Inanother aspect, some interaction may be necessary in order to arrive ata purchasing state. The amount of interaction at this state is less thanwould typically be necessary to manually transition to the destinationsite, such as Amazon.com, entering the user input into the amazon.cominput field, hitting enter, and continuing to interact with the site toarrive at a purchase opportunity.

Thus, in one aspect, the disclosure relates to a browser or browserfunctionality that is enhanced by an extension installed on the browser.Furthermore, the claims can address the functionality both from thestandpoint of the browser as well as the standpoint of the destinationsite receiving the transition from the browser and preprocessing theuser input so as to receive the transitioning user at the destinationsite in the proper state. This also applies to a software module and anapp downloaded on a user device as well.

Another example simplifies the process even further. Typically, asdescribed above, a website such as Google or Amazon has a single-purposeentry so that the user can click “enter” and the text is processed as aGoogle web search or as an Amazon product search. In this secondexample, the search field has multiple possible ways of processing thetext in the input field. An algorithm analyzes and processes the inputto determine or predict the meaning or user intent of the text input.Via such an analysis, the system determines what type of search oraction the user wants. Thus, if the user types “Olympics” into a searchfield at one-search.com or on the browser, the system can determine viathe algorithm that the user is unlikely to want to search Amazon.com oreBay for “Olympics” because the Olympics is not something available forpurchase. However, if the user enters additional information, such as“Olympics windbreaker Sochi 2014,” the system can revise thedetermination of intent, because the additional information input by theuser is now directed to a specific item or category. Thus, the systemcan continuously evaluate or determine intent of the user based on thetext or data provided. The system can instantaneously reevaluate intentas each character or word is input, for example. The system cananticipate intent and cache or pre-load results or actions for a numberof anticipated intent scenarios based on context information for theuser and the data provided so far. Thus, if the anticipated intent(i.e., Google search versus an Amazon purchase versus an Amazon search)turns out to be correct, the system already has the components in placeor the pages fetched to service that intent. In this case, the user willreceive results related to their input faster.

The system may utilize any type of data such as user profile data,one-click purchasing settings, social media data, historical data, timeof year (holidays are coming, summer time, a friend or family member hasa birthday in one week, etc.), to make this determination. In thisexample, the system may determine when the user clicks on “enter” thatthe user intended a Google search for that input. For example, if theuser types “Paul Revere American revolution,” the system can detect thatthe semantic content and the structure of the text is more closelyaligned with an informational search instead of a product search and canroute the search text through a search engine. In that case, the primaryresults as though the user had entered a Google search are presented.The one-search.com results screen could also provide alternates in casethe user actually desired a Bing search or did want an Amazon.comsearch. If the user enters that information into a search field atone-search.com, the system can cause the browser to navigate togoogle.com, upon the user pressing enter, as if the user had searched atGoogle originally for the search string. Alternatively, the system canload the corresponding Google search page in an iframe or other embeddedmechanism in a webpage, or as a new tab or window. The system canutilize any of a number of various transitions to present the Googlesearch page to the user, even though the user initiated the search atthe one-search.com page.

On the other hand, if the user enters “Revere tea kettle,” the systemcan analyze the input text to determine that the user likely desires tomake a purchase. Thus, when the user hits “enter,” the system can routethe search to Amazon or another suitable e-commerce site or canimmediately execute a one-click purchase from Amazon based on thesearch. Upon determining that the user intent is a purchase, the systemcan perform an analysis of or rely on a previously performed analysis ofthe user's purchasing habits or other purchase related information suchas lowest price, lowest price plus shipping, availability, shipping timeor method, user membership in a shopping club, whether the user has anaccount with an online merchant, and so forth. Based on this analysis,the system can determine which retailers are above an intent thresholdand provide the user with ways to easily access those retailers. Thesystem can sort the retailers in an order of likelihood to be what theuser desires and can restrict the list of retailers presented to theuser. For example, the list can be restricted based on a price spread,available screen space to present options to the user, or other factors.

In an example of these principles, the user enters the text “largesupreme pizza” into the one-search.com input field. The system cananalyze the user's browser history, previous queries at one-search.com,user accounts at various pizza delivery places, a location of the userand nearby pizza delivery places, credit card transaction data of pizzapurchases, and so forth. Based on this information, one-search.com can,before the user presses enter and/or mid-query, determine that Dominos,Papa Johns, and Pizza Hut are nearby, are open, and that the user hasmade purchases with them in the past 6 months. Then, the system canpresent a preview of each of these merchants so that the user can simplyclick once to place an order for a large supreme pizza. The payment datacan be handled through a browser/user interface payment request API. Theone-search.com system can display the logo of each pizza merchant, witha summary of the order that would be placed and the associated cost ifthe user clicks on the logo. For example, the system can display, belowthe Dominos logo, “16” large supreme pizza, $16.24, delivered to 123Fake Street, Springfield, Ohio. Delivery by 6:15 pm.” Then, the user canclick on the Dominos logo to place the order, or the user can interactwith the one-search.com page or Dominos webpage directly to modifyvarious aspects of the order before placing the order. Theone-search.com system can dynamically update the previews as the usertypes additional information in the search field. The one-search.comsystem can further provide an indication of a ‘default’ action that willbe executed if the user presses “enter” on the keyboard. In this way,when the user is satisfied with the default result, or only one resultremains after the user inputs the text, the user can simply press“enter” and the system can execute the action, such as placing an orderfor pizza.

In another example, the user enters the term “iPhone 5S 32 GB silver”into one-search.com. (Any reference to a “one-search.com” or similarsite also can mean a browser user interface or any interface). Thesystem can analyze the text to determine that this search is clearlydirected to a product based on the specific amount of detail to identifyone or a few items that could be purchased. Further, if the search isexecuted on December 8^(th), then the system can be especially tuned tobe more sensitive to recognize purchase requests due to the gift givingatmosphere surrounding Christmas or other holidays. The algorithm cananalyze previous searches for various iPhones to determine which, basedon running the algorithm, would result in a threshold value being passedthat there is a high likelihood that the user desires to purchase thisproduct rather than just search for it. When the user hits “enter,” thesystem processes that input as though the user was viewing the iPhone 5S32 GB silver on Amazon.com with the option to make a “one-click”purchase. Here, by entering that data into the one-search.com field, andclicking “enter”, the system can, on behalf of the user, implement thesteps at Amazon.com as if the user had completed a purchase of the item.The system can perform these actions via HTTP requests, as if the userhad navigated to the website and entered the information herself, or thesystem can communicate with the various web services via theirestablished APIs. The system can notify the user that the order has beenplaced, and provide any shipping or order details to the user.Alternatively, the system can transition the user directly to anAmazon.com environment or present a user interface notifying them thatthe purchase is being processed by a website that processes via userprofile data a purchase and delivery of the product as can be done atAmazon.com or by Apple.com, etc.

In one example, the user can confirm the order before the system placesthe order on behalf of the user. In another example, the system placesthe order automatically for the user, and the user can choose to acceptthe order by doing nothing or choose to reject or modify the order byproviding some input, such as clicking a button or opening an order pagein a new tab or new window. In one example, the system may have placedan order for a silver iPhone 5S, but the user changes his or her mindand wants to order a gold iPhone 5S. The user can modify the orderdirectly at one-search.com, or one-search.com can redirect the user toAmazon.com to modify the order. Sellers can compete for the business ofprocessing this input, and the system could report on who bid for thelowest price. The system can provide the user with an ‘out’ bycancelling the purchase within a certain amount of time. In a similarmanner, the system can detect that a user has just placed an order foran iPhone 5S, and implement a ‘cool-down’ period, during which thesystem will not automatically order an additional iPhone on behalf ofthe user without some additional or explicit approval from the user.

The system can cap or confirm orders that appear to be erroneous orunintentional. For example, if a new user does not realize how thesystem works, he or she may search for an iPhone 5S 32 GB silvermultiple times, and inadvertently order multiple telephones. The systemcan have a built-in mechanism to detect such potentially unintentionalpurchase patterns and incorporate some heightened level of user approvalor confirmation before proceeding to make purchases on behalf of theuser when such patterns are detected. The user can establish securitymeasures or purchase limits on the account, so that a child orunauthorized person is unable to make purchases above a specificspending limit, or so that purchases above a threshold requireauthentication via email or text message or some other mechanism. If thesystem detects an unauthorized purchase, the system can temporarily stopor prevent purchase transactions altogether for the entireone-search.com account, or for specific log-in locations.

Using the “enter” button and processing the input based on a predictedintent can result in ambiguities. When a user searches via Amazon.comfor a product, the user navigates to the right model with the desiredsize, color, carrier, and so forth. Then when the user makes anAmazon.com one-click purchase, the user knows all of the data about theproduct before making the purchase. In the model disclosed herein, thesystem can also deal with product ambiguity. Assume the user enters“iPhone 5S 32 GB” at one-search.com, and that the available colors areblack, silver, and gold. The algorithm determines, based on the inputtext, that the user likely desires to make a purchase and processes theinput text accordingly. The system can select the most popular color andfill in that unknown parameter accordingly. The system can select notonly the most popular model based on popular size and color, but thesystem can incorporate demographics data to determine the most popularmodel for people similar to the user. For example, if the user enters“iPhone 5,” the system can select a yellow 16 GB iPhone 5C for a teenagegirl, or a black 64 GB iPhone 5S for her father. The system can furtheranalyze past purchases of similar or related devices to determine likelyuser preferences for this purchase. If the user is already registered,and via the browser, application or website, the system knows who isdoing the search, then user preferences, history, classification modelbased on previous searches across multiple websites, etc. can be appliedto analyze the one-search input field. If the user has made electronicspurchases in the past that are all silver, the system can assume thatthe user is likely to want a silver iPhone 5S, and populate the cartaccordingly. Similarly, if the user has consistently purchased thelargest storage capacity model in previous purchases of mobile devices,the system can automatically populate the cart with the iPhone 5S withthe largest storage.

Returning to the above example, the user clicks “enter” and the systempresents a user interface screen that states “You have purchased theblack iPhone 5S 32 GB— if you want silver instead, hit enter.” In otherwords, the system can choose the most popular color, and present anoption to change a parameter such as the color via hitting “enter”again. This second hitting of “enter” cancels the previous order of theblack iPhone and replaces it with a silver one, or the system can simplyupdate the purchase request. At that point of time in the process, it isas though the user had been viewing a silver iPhone, with the rightfeatures, and hit the one-click purchase button such that no otheraction needs to be taken to have it charged and delivered. The systemcan integrate with the merchant via an API to place a hold on aparticular item, such as the black iPhone 5S 32 GB, while waiting for aperiod of time to allow the user to modify the order before committingor completing the purchase.

The process can be repeated as well. The system can present to the user“You have now purchased the silver iPhone 5S 32 GB— if you want the goldone, hit enter.” Hitting enter this time will cancel the order of thesilver iPhone and replace it with the gold iPhone. If the user doesnothing else at this stage, the system commits the order for the goldiPhone, and the merchant will execute the order so the user will receivethe gold iPhone, and the merchant will charge the user for the order inthe normal fashion. Of course, button clicks can be provided for theuser to change the various parameters and change the order. Theinterface can say “you have purchased the iPhone 5S 32 GB black—tochange any of these parameters click here.” The system can presentvarious options to change the storage size, model, carrier, color,shipping options, etc. However, if the user does nothing, the systemarranges for and places the order with the merchant on behalf of theuser using the predicted parameters. As can be appreciated, the processenables the user from the time a browser or an application is opened up,to successfully make a purchase of the desired product in lessinteractions or fewer steps than was previously required.

In another example, the system can include an autocorrect orautocomplete feature with one-click purchasing ability in the context ofa single search or at Amazon.com, one-search.com, or any other websitewhere a purchaser has registered data such as credit card, address, etc.A website search field can include an “autocomplete” such that when theuser types in a search term, the autocomplete feature can eitherautomatically complete the concept that user may desire, or present alist of suggested or recommended options based on the text input up tothat point. The user can review the various autocomplete options andselect one, thus alleviating the need to continue typing out the rest ofthe query. In this example, the system receives a partial user input (orfull input) via an input field, and, when analyzing the input forproducing autocomplete options, the system can include a “one-click”purchasing option in the listing of autocomplete options. The optionscan thus change from a default mode for a first portion of the text anda second mode for a second portion of the text. In other words, if theuser enters the text “iPhone” as the partial user input, at that stagethe system can identify and present “iPhone 5S 16 GB<one-clickpurchase>” as one of the “autocomplete” options. In that case, thismodified listing of the autocomplete features reduces the number ofclicks and the amount of text from the user in order to purchase theitem. In other words, drop-down or drop up (or any other location on theuser interface) features are not limited to the concept of seeking astandard autocomplete feature but rather blends autocomplete withpurchasing options or other options such as jumps to other websites.Normally, the user would choose one of the autocomplete options, whichwould take the user to either an item or a listing of items, then theuser has to click again to narrow down to one particular item, and thenat that point the user is in position to “one-click” purchase the item.However, if the user clicks on the “one-click purchase” variation in theautocomplete listing, the system can place the order immediately. Anobject could be presented in a drop-down menu for transitioning toanother site such as Wikipedia.org. Previous approaches required a userto type much more data into the input field to transition. For example,previous approaches on Safari requires the user to type “amazon cameralens”, which indicated to the browser that the input was meant foramazon.com and to transition to amazon. However, requiring the extraletters to be typed in to provide the instruction to the browser likelyrequired more input and steps then just manually transitioning to thesecond site. Thus, this disclosure provides for objects to be presentedwhich can act on the exact text in the input field without the need oftyping in key word instructions telling the browser where to transition.The objects can be presented anywhere and can by dynamic such that theyare not visible or presented when no text is in an input field but arepresented in a first instance after the user starts to type or after afirst portion of the input is evaluated.

The system can present various one-click options via the input fieldlisting. For example, if, at the stage of typing “iPhone” the mostpopular iPhone is the 5S, with 32 GB and a silver color, the system canplace that option, with a one-click purchase option, high or first onthe list of autocomplete options for purchase. The next most popularmodel might be the 16 GB iPhone in black, which the system can displaynext in the autocomplete listing. Competitors can also provide offers inthe autocomplete listing for a one-click purchase. The position withinthe menu can also dynamically change as the user types and as one optionbecomes more likely to be the desired option. The option right under theinput field can be the option offered when the user hits the “enter”key, i.e., without clicking on any object. A competitor can purchase theright to present an autocomplete one-click purchase option that isrelated, but does not include the searched-for text. For example, when auser is searching for “iPhone,” the system can present an autocompleteentry to one-click purchase a “Samsung Galaxy S4.” The system canfurther present promotional material in these autocomplete listings.However, because space is limited, the promotional material may belimited. One example of such a promotion is an autocomplete listingadvertising “Samsung Galaxy S4-20% off <one-click purchase>” atAmazon.com. Companies can purchase advertising space under theautocomplete listing or can pay a premium to elevate their products inautocomplete listings for a specific keyword, specific product, brand,and so forth. However, the system can also use business intelligence orfeedback from various merchants to include, in the autocomplete options,results based on what people searching for item X eventually end uppurchasing, even if the autocomplete option does not include thesearched-for text.

Similarly, the system can track users' behavior, and can price certainusers' attention at a premium for advertisers. For example, if the userhas been researching smartphones daily for several weeks, advertisers offlagship smartphones may pay a higher price premium to target aninterested, engaged buyer with advertising in the form of autocompleteoptions because the user has been spending a lot of recent timeresearching smartphones and will likely make a purchase in the nearfuture. Based on this history of navigation, the menu may present arelated item higher in the menu as it may be more likely to representthe user's desired action.

The system can provide a “one-click” purchasing option in a drop-downlist of autocomplete options. Additionally, the autocomplete can includea listing that, if selected by the user, places the user in the contextof one step prior to a one-click purchase at the merchant site. In otherwords, if a user enters “iPhone 5S” on a website like Amazon.com,Amazon.com presents to the user a number of listings of items. The userhas to click on one of those items to narrow the results down to asingle item, at which point the counting of clicks begins in the contextof a “one-click” purchase. While viewing that single item, the user isthen presented with a “one-click” purchasing option. Such a context,including the user's successful login with Amazon.com, would becharacterized as a “pre-one-click” web page where the user has navigatedto a point where the item is identified and the context is such that theuser can make a one-click purchase. The problem is that getting to thepre-one-click page takes too many clicks and interactions.

Thus, the autocomplete listing can provide a simple way for the user tojump immediately to the “pre-one-click” stage in the merchant's website. The autocomplete listing can not only include a “one-click”purchasing option at that stage, but could also include an option totake the user to a “pre-one-click” purchasing page, at which point,typically, there is more information about the item, a larger picture,reviews, a rating, product details, and so forth, such that the user canmake a more informed purchasing decision. For well-known products, theuser can make a one-click decision to purchase directly from anautocomplete listing, but for other products, the user may want toverify that the product is suitable for an intended purpose orcompatible with some other user needs. The previous result of clickingon an autocomplete option is to process that option as though it was asearch entered into the input field. However, that returns a listing ofsearch results and not a “pre-one-click” page with one item ready topurchase. Accordingly, this alternate feature reduces the number ofinteractions necessary to get to a pre-one-click purchase page.

The purchasing autocomplete type options could be presented on a drop“up” listing and the searching or traditional autocomplete options couldbe presented on a traditional drop “down” menu. Objects to select couldbe presented in any location on a user interface. Multimodal interactioncould also occur to include audio, gesture or other possible interactivemodes. In other words, the directionality of the listing can beindicative of the functionality of the items listed. The directionalitycan be side to side, or in some other direction or angle. For example,the various one-click purchase and pre-one-click autocomplete listingscan all be drop “down” menus, but at opposing 45 degree angles. Thesystem can also present options in a tag field or tag cloud arrangement,where most likely options are presented closest to the input field(where they would be the quickest and easiest to access from a mouseperspective) and with the largest icon, text, graphic or other visualcues for selection.

As noted above, the browser or search engine could also be configured totransition the user to any second site and preprocess the user input inthe input field as though the user had searched the second site and hitenter to process the input. The disclosure covers easily transitioningthe user to a second site in a state as though the user had entered userinput into the input field of the second site. In this regard, anexample method, shown in FIG. 2B, includes receiving, via a userinterface of a browser and via a processor, user input in an input field(210) and presenting an object in response to the user input (212). Inone aspect, the object is not presented on the interface when no inputis in the input field. The first instance of the object can be aftersome input is provided or when the system identifies based on the userinput that the object should be presented. This will reduce clutter onthe interface. The object is configured such that when a user interactswith the object, the method includes transitioning the user to a secondsite associated with the object (214), filling the user input into asecond site input field (216) and causing the user input to be processedat the second site as though the user entered the user input into thesecond site input field (218). The object can be presented with an imageindicating where the input will be processed and where the browser willtransition the user to. The interface can present one or a plurality ofobjects, each object of the plurality of objects including a differentone-click search engine to which the user will transition when the userinteracts with each respect object. In this regard, the “one-clicksearch engine” can include any second site to which the user willtransition, such as yahoo.com, bing.com, amazon.com (i.e., any merchantsite), ebay.com, Wikipedia.org, and so forth. Any second site having aninput field can be transitioned to according to this concept. Users canselect a listing of target sites that will show up as part of adrop-down menu or items presented in response to user input in the firstsite input field. The steps can include transitioning, filling andcausing steps result in a transition of the user to the second site in astate as though the user had entered the user input into the second siteinput field and the second site processed the user input. To distinguishfrom prior approaches which required the user to type in key words like“wiki” or “amazon” to signal to the browser the second site, the presentconcept does not require such signaling and provides objects which theuser can click on or interact with to process the exact user input inthe second site and transition to the second site. Further, priorapproaches, if a regular search was desired (such as specifically on“amazon camera lens”), the user was required to key into the input fielda symbol like “!”. Clearly the extra steps required for this approachwere not ideal. The present disclosure reduces the numbers of keystrokesand input needed to make the transition. Every reduced step or keystrokeis valuable particularly with mobile device searching. Indeed, applyingprior approaches would be problematic because a search on amazon.comusing the exact terms “amazon camera lens” might return if appliedexactly to the input field of amazon.com results that differ from whatthe user desired, which is just “camera lens”.

The steps of this process can be performed by a search engine site, froma browser search field, an application, any other entity, or any sitethat has an input field (such as starting at amazon.com andtransitioning to google.com). For example, browsers often have inputfields in the header portion which can be used for searching theInternet. Users can select whether a default search engine for thatinput field is google.com, yahoo.com or other search engine. However,the browser can also provide options which, when presented (ifdynamically), clicked on or interacted with by the user, cause thetransition to a second site (which has its own second site input field)preconfigured such that the user input populates the second site inputfield and in a state where that user input has been processed by thesecond site. This clearly provides an efficient way for the user tonavigate and arrive at the results they desire from a general searchengine.

Another aspect includes receiving, via the user interface of a browser,user input in an input field and presenting an object in response to theuser input. The object is configured such that with a single click, theuser can be transitioned to another website preprocessed in a certainway. The user input is passed to the second site and essentiallyautomatically filled into the second site input field. The backgroundprocess involves the browser or system causing entry of the user inputin the second input field such that the second site processes the inputand returns a response such that the second site is in a processed statebased on the user input. The system then transitions the user to thesecond site associated with the object in the processed state. Thisreduces the number of interactions the user would have to engage in totransition from the one site to the other. The object is presented suchthat after entering the user input, only one click is required totransition to the second site in the processed state. This differs fromsimply hitting enter with the user input in the input field and gettingsearch results, from which the user could click on a search result andtransition to another website.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example one search field and drop-down menufeature 300. In this example, the single field 302 (which can be on asite or a browser input field) enables the user to provide input thatthe system analyzes to identify other options besides a search that areavailable. In this example, the user inputs “iPhone 5S” in the field302. The algorithm analyzes that input to recognize that the search isdirected to a product. The system can access a database of currentproducts, purchasing patterns, product popularity, purchasing history ofthe user or of other users, availability of the product, and so forth.The system can access the database via an API call to one or moremerchant databases. The algorithm can use this data to make a moreaccurate determination of whether the user desires a search or aspecific product to purchase. In this case, the input “iPhone 5S” isclearly a product, thus this knowledge will help to drive and controlthe construction of the drop-down menu options.

Because the user input in field 302 is a product, the example drop-downmenu options can include a standard Google search 304. Although this isthe first option, the system can arrange the drop-down menus to placethis option lower if the algorithm determines that the user is lesslikely to desire a Google search. The system can present more likelyoptions closer to the input field 302, or closer to the mouse cursor,for example. If a user selects that option, then the result that isreturned would be as though the user had entered “iPhone 5S” as a Googlesearch. The drop-down menu can include an Amazon.com one-clickpurchasing option 306. If the user selects this option, the system canprocess the input as though the user were on Amazon.com, having searchedfor an iPhone 5S, and at a screen in which the user can select to“one-click”, execute the purchase of the product for the user. Inanother variation, the system can present a one-click option at theone-search page, directly from the drop-down or drop-up menu. So, theuser could click a button, an image, or a link to place the order withAmazon.com as if the user had navigated to the one-click point atAmazon.com and clicked the “order now” button. In this case, FIG. 4Aillustrates the resulting screen 400 presented to the user from choosingoption 306. Screen 400 includes data 402 informing the user that theiPhone 5S had been purchased via Amazon.com. When a color was notprovided, the system can choose the most likely color for the user orfor similar users. In this case, the system selected silver. A storagesize of 32 GB is also shown as part of the purchase data.

In the case of unwanted or unintended purchases as people perhaps hit awrong key or chose the wrong drop-down menu option, the system allowsusers to cancel the purchase 404 or modify the purchase 406. The usercan modify any number of different options depending on the product.Options shown by way of example include changing the color from silverto gold or black. Similarly, the system can display an option to changethe storage size to 16 GB. An option such as “add accessories” can bringthe user to another interactive screen to choose accessories such aschargers, cases and car mounts. The system can determine whichmodification options to present and the order in which to present thembased on a confidence score for each option. A statistical confidencescore can be determined by the system using past purchases or userpreferences. For example, the system may have a confidence score of 95%that the user wants a silver iPhone 5S, and can either not display theoption to modify the color, or can display the option in a lessprominent place or manner, or can provide the option to change the colorthrough a menu or other ‘hidden’ location. This approach can allow thesystem to present purchase or item options to the user so that the useris only concerned with and can easily modify options about which thesystem is less sure. The other options can be presented via an objectwhich initiates the purchasing process but receives additionalselections from the user on features of the product or engages in adialog with the user and then finalizes the purchase after the dialog(and perhaps the purchase is processed in the dialog application, as inthe drop-down menu or separate dialog application). The system canpresent options to modify not only details about the actual item itself,but also about details surrounding the order, such as delivery address,billing address, payment method, or delivery method. The system can evenallow the user to switch the order from one merchant to anothermerchant, if the user inadvertently clicked the wrong menu item in thepull-down menu, for example.

If that the entity which is processing the purchase is Amazon.com, as isnoted in field 402, the system could also present an option to processthe purchase through Apple.com. If any of these options are chosen, thenthe user selects the modify button 408 and the order is modified andautomatically continues to be processed. Of course the system has theuser profile, purchasing (credit/debit/PayPal/crypto, etc. account),address and any other information and can move seamlessly betweenpurchasing/processing entities with ease. When the user sets up aprofile and account on the website, permissions and accessibilitycapability is established and approved. In this manner, operationsbetween entities to complete a purchase can be divided as necessary.Thus, an example of seamlessly moving operations between purchasing andprocessing entities can include the system handling a purchase anddelivery transaction of an item by enabling a payment account registeredwith one entity (such as Google), to be used to pay for an item whilethe system coordinates with another processing entity, such as amerchant or retail partner, to handle filling the order. As is shownbelow, transitioning between purchasing/processing entities can alsoinclude transitioning to a dialog application that can enable a dialogbetween the user and a merchant and then complete the purchase in thedialog application.

FIG. 4A illustrates another aspect as well about transitioning or usinga dialog to resolve concerns of the buyer or enable the buyer to selectparticular parameters via an additional interaction instead of simply a“buy now” option. As noted in the introduction, in some cases a personalinteraction with the user can help to resolve concerns and provide theoption to select particular parameters before completing a purchase.This disclosure provides a number of solutions for easily achieving thisinput and then efficiently completing the purchase. For example, FIG. 3also illustrates a transition from the input field to a drop-down menuconfigured such that parameters of the item can be chosen and a purchaseinteraction is built into the transitioned location (in this case thedrop-down menu). For more detailed questions, the user could transitionto a dialog also configured to engage with the user to receive orprovide more information and then have the ability to process the actualpurchase through the dialog interface. FIG. 4A represents a morecomprehensive dialog where the user can pick other options as well. Thedialog can be an SMS application, email application, messengerapplication in a social network, an avatar that speaks and converseswith the user in a natural language system, and so forth. The“transition” to a dialog from which the final purchase can be made cantherefore include a drop-down menu item configured to receive moreparameters about the product and then finalize a purchase, a textingdialog, speaking dialog, video dialog and so forth. The browser API canbe used to process payment data to a site as part of interacting in amessaging application or a bot.

The following example is provided for how to manage such a dialogprocess in the context of social networking. In an example method of howthe system could transition the user to a dialog as part of a paymentprocess, a method includes receiving a posting of an item through asocial networking site, such that the social networking site receivesand transmits posted items from a posting entity to receiving entities.When the posting is not associated with a product for purchase in aproduct database or catalog, the method includes transmitting theposting through the social networking site without an option to buy.When a determination indicates that the posting references the productin the product database or catalog, and thus indicating a sale-relatedintent, the method includes transmitting the posting through the socialnetworking site with a payment process initiation object associated withthe product, such that the payment process initiation object can includeone of the button, a drop-down menu, or a hyperlink, and receiving aninteraction associated with the payment process initiation object, theinteraction being performed by a user. Based on the purchaseinteraction, the method includes engaging in a dialog with the userregarding the product as part of a payment process such that at aconclusion of the dialog, the user can complete a purchase of theproduct.

The method can include, as part of the dialog, receiving a purchasinginteraction from the user and processing the purchase of the productbased on the purchase interaction. Processing the purchase occurs withinone of the social networking site, via a payment agent or via anapplication programming interface between the social networking site anda merchant site selling the product. The purchase can also occur throughthe browser payment request application programming interface disclosedherein. The browser, social networking site, digital wallet, networkstorage service, can store payment data for the user to process thepurchase. When the purchase occurs via the application programminginterface between the social networking site and the merchant site, thesocial networking site can transmit payment data through the applicationprogramming interface such that the merchant site can process thepurchase of the product. When the purchase occurs via the browserapplication programming interface between the browser and the merchantsite, the browser can transmit payment data through the applicationprogramming interface such that the merchant site can process thepurchase of the product.

The dialog can enable the user to select a parameter associated with theproduct. Example parameters include one or more of a color, a size, ashape, a configuration, and a technical characteristic. Deliveryoptions, resolving any other concerns, gifting issues, discounts,coupons, and so forth can be managed within the dialog. The paymentprocess initiation object can simply include a buy button or a notice“talk about and buy this item by clicking here”. The dialog can bemanaged as between the user and the merchant via a dialog application.Engaging in the dialog can be achieved in one aspect by transitioning toa dialog application for managing the dialog and the purchase of theproduct.

FIG. 3 also illustrates other concepts. Feature 308 represents an Applesearch. If the user selects this option, then the next field that isreturned would be as though the user searched for iPhone 5S onApple.com. The information presented by Apple on that product would bepresented to the user. Optionally, the system can prompt the user toprovide or confirm credentials for logging in to Apple.com. Because thetransition from one-search.com to Apple.com occurred fromone-search.com, the system can present an option in the new Apple.comweb page to enable the user to return to one-search.com for furthersearches. For example, the system can provide a frame, in the browser,for returning to the one-search.com search while presenting theApple.com web site. The frame can allow the user to modify the originalinput text, which can dynamically change aspects of the presentedApple.com web site presented in conjunction with the frame.

Feature 310 in FIG. 3 represents an eBay bid option. In this case, ifthe user selects this option, the system sends the user to eBay andpresents a screen 410, as shown in the example user interface of FIG.4B, as though the user had gone to eBay.com and entered in “iPhone 5S”into the eBay search field 412. Feature 414 represents a selectablereturned item for an iPhone 5S 32 GB with a current bid at $199. Feature416 is an iPhone 5S 16 GB for $175 and feature 418 represents an iPhone5 16 GB at $150. All of these are examples of the kind of processingthat can occur. As noted above, a “return to one-search” button 420 canalso be included in the screen for easy access back to the one-searchfield. The system can transition to the indicated destination page, suchas the Apple.com, eBay.com, or Amazon.com purchase page for an iPhone 5Sas an overlay, such that returning to the one-search field involvesremoving the overlay instead of a back navigation command to a previouspage. The interface 410 could be a browser 1806 as shown in FIG. 18Athat interacts with a merchant site 1816 via a browser API 1818 toexchange requests and responses for providing payment information to amerchant as disclosed herein. The browser 410 could also act as an agentto utilize a second API 1812 between the browser 1806 and a paymentservice 1810 for managing payments, authorizing payments, generatingtokens and so forth. One could transition from the initial site, such asa searching site, social media site, or any other site, to the browser410 for further interaction and to handle the payment processing.

FIG. 3 also shows an Amazon search 312 in the drop-down menu. When theuser chooses this option, the system can present a screen as though theuser had searched on Amazon.com for an iPhone From there, the user couldcontinue shopping and searching as though the user had begun browsing onAmazon.com. The object 312 is selectable by the user and can have itsfirst presentation to the user after the user types data into the inputfield 302. This reduces clutter on the interface. In one aspect, thedrop-down menu automatically drops down as the user enters data into thefield without any other interaction. In other words, as is shown in FIG.3 , there is no button to click on to produce the drop-down menu. Thisreduces the interactions necessary to transition to amazon.com (or anyother site) with the user input data in the input field 302. In anotheraspect, the user hits the “enter” key on a keyboard (i.e., no button isclicked), which can cause the system to process the input and producethe drop-down menu. The menu can also simply be an object or fieldpresented to the user for selection. In other words, it does notspecifically have to be a drop-down menu. For example, the option 206 inFIG. 2A could be presented based on the user input in 202 or the userhitting “enter” on the keyboard to cause the options to be presented.The drop-down menu in FIG. 3 can include an option to purchase theproduct directly via Apple.com 314. If the user selects that option, andassuming that there is not a “one-click” purchase option at Apple.com,the user is brought to the point where they can, in very fewinteractions, complete the purchase. For instance, the system can bringthe user to a shopping cart showing the product ready to be purchased.In one option, the system brings the user to the point of seeing theproduct and being able to place the product (iPhone 5S) into a shoppingcart. In another aspect, the system could navigate the shopping cartmodel on behalf of the user and complete the purchase, thereby makingthe transaction a one-click purchase.

FIG. 3 also shows another example of this disclosure. In this case,because the “drop-down” menus include different types of data, theoptions can include a “drop-down” menu as well as a “drop up” menu. Thepurchase options could be dropped “up” as shown in features 316 and 318,while all of the search options or more traditional options can bedropped “down.” The system can present menus to the left, right,diagonal, or in any direction, orientation, or angle as desired.Separating the purchasing options from search-type options can alsoreduce the number of inadvertent purchases. In this example, thedrop-down menus of FIG. 3 could only include features 304, 308, 310 and312 as these involve further searching. The system can position items306 and 314 in “drop up” menus 318 and 316, respectively. The algorithmcan predict the most likely search if the user desired a search and themost likely purchase if the user were to desire to purchase the item andposition those as the first option down and the first option up in themenus. The user could use the arrow buttons on a keyboard or a touchscreen to select the desired options. Alternatively, the drop-down ordrop up menus can indicate shortcut keys which the user can press toselect the options without using the mouse. For example, the menu canindicate that the user can press alt-1, alt-2, or alt-3 to select thevarious drop up menu options, or ctrl-1, ctrl-2, or ctrl-3, or someother single key or key combination to select the various drop-down menuoptions. The system can present auto-complete options which the user canactivate using similar keyboard shortcuts. For example, if the user hastyped “iPhone,” the system can indicate that pressing “S64” after“iPhone” would autocomplete to “iPhone 5S 64 GB.” The types andquantities of such autocomplete keyboard shortcuts can vary widelydepending on the determined intent of the user, as well as attributes ofthe product as the system understands it up to that point. Voiceactivity or gesture input or any other type of input can enable the userto select a desired option.

In some cases, the system can determine that the data in the searchfield is not intended for a purchase. For example, if the user entersthe text “South Dakota,” the system can identify that the user does notdesire to make a purchase. The “drop-down” menu in that case couldsimply list the traditional search options or could list options toone-click purchase items related to South Dakota, such as a South Dakotat-shirt or a souvenir of Mount Rushmore. In one aspect, the user canenter “research South Dakota”, to indicate to the system that a purchaseis not desired, but rather the user's intent is to perform research onSouth Dakota for a project, for example. In this example, the system canreturn research results displayed in a drop-down menu from sourceshaving a variety of reliability ratings. The user can select a sourcefrom the drop-down menu as desired based on reliability or popularity,for example.

The user can also add hints or shorthand instructions in the searchfield to guide purchase options presented in a one-search.com field. Forexample, the user can provide the text “buy amaz iPhone 5S.” These hintstell the algorithm that the user desires a purchase function, and thatthe desired merchant is Amazon. The algorithm can use regularexpressions to search a database of available merchants to determinethat the desired merchant is Amazon, and not that the user desires tobuy an amazing iPhone. To resolve merchant ambiguities, the algorithmcan further make decisions based on previous searches stored in a useraccount, for example. Based on these types of hints, the system caneliminate features 304, 308, 310, 312 and 314 from the drop-down menusshown in FIG. 3 . In that case, the user could just hit “return” and themost likely desired product will be automatically purchased andprocessed for shipment. Information about this dynamic change in theenter function performed when the user hits enter can be presented inthe search field, for example, to the right of the text typed in by theuser. Options to cancel or modify of course can be presented, such asthe cancel purchase button 404 and modify purchase button 408 shown inFIG. 4A.

In one example, the unified input field is part of an applicationdownloadable or installable on a smartphone, tablet, or other mobilecomputing device. The functionality could also apply to a unified searchfield on a website. The application can be customizable as can anywebsite disclosed herein. The application includes a single input fieldthat is generic to multiple different types of processing. For example,the application can present an input field with a number of differentoptions, such as a Skype or telephone call. The field therefore can beused to input a search for a contact. The user could type in the field“mom” and then select the Skype® video conference option, or theFaceTime® option. The system processes the input field according to theappropriate context by extending a video conferencing request or makinga phone call. It is important to note that the unified field conceptdisclosed herein is not limited to the processing of the user inputbeing related to web searches or purchases. Other functionality can beimplemented from the unified field. Phone calls, video conferencing,triggering of any sensor on a smartphone, taking a picture, sending atext, etc. Several examples if these features follow. In the unifiedfield, the user may input the text: “Mark S., are we getting togetherfor lunch?” The user may then select the processing option of “texting,”chatting in an online chat room, or posting the comment on a socialmedia website, and so forth.

FIG. 4C illustrates a method example of using a spoken dialog and/ormessenger application for purchasing a product. A text dialog could beemployed as well. The following is an example of a spoken dialog withboth a spoken input and textual component, a similar approach couldapply just with the user interacting via text. An example method in thisregard includes receiving, via a messenger application and as part of adialog between a merchant site and a user, an input from the user (430),presenting user text associated with the input in the messengerapplication, responding, as part of the dialog and by the merchant site,to the input with a response (432), presenting text associated with theresponse in the messenger application (434), and identifying a productthe user desires to purchase from the merchant site via the dialog(436). Based on a buy interaction by the user via the dialog, the methodincludes receiving, at a browser and via a browser payment requestapplication programming interface, a payment request, from the merchantsite, for payment data of the user for purchasing the product (438) and,in response to the payment request, communicating, from the browser andvia the browser payment request application programming interface,payment information for the user, wherein the merchant site uses thepayment information to process a payment for the product (440).

The method can include receiving, at the browser and via the browserpayment request application programing interface, an address request,from the merchant site, for address data for the user. In response tothe address request, the method can include communicating, from thebrowser and via the browser payment request application programminginterface, the address data for the user to the merchant site. Themerchant site processes the payment using the payment information. Thepayment information can include payment account information for the userthat the merchant site can use to process the payment for the product. Abrowser can present the messenger application to the user. The methodcould occur via a text dialog as well without spoken input.

A method from the standpoint of the merchant site can includetransmitting, via a messenger application and as part of a dialogbetween a merchant site and a user, a prompt from the merchant site tothe user, receiving, as part of the dialog and at the merchant site,user input, and identifying, based on the user input, a product the userdesires to purchase from the merchant site via the dialog. Based on abuy interaction by the user via the dialog, the method can includetransmitting, to a browser and via a browser payment request applicationprogramming interface, a payment request, from the merchant site, forpayment data of the user for purchasing the product, and in response tothe payment request, receiving, from the browser and via the browserpayment request application programming interface, payment informationfor the user. Using the payment information the merchant can process apayment for the product. Of course this aspect from the standpoint ofthe merchant can include a text-only or a spoken dialog only approach,plus the approach where the user is speaking and the merchant is alsospeaking but a text version of the dialog is presented to the user forfollowing along and user interaction, such as videos or images to selectoptions for purchase.

Having disclosed some basic system components and concepts, thedisclosure now turns to the exemplary method example shown in FIG. 5 .For the sake of clarity, the method is described in terms of anexemplary system 700 as shown in FIG. 7 configured to practice themethod. The steps outlined herein are exemplary and can be implementedin any combination thereof, including combinations that exclude, add, ormodify certain steps.

Another aspect related to using a messenger application includes amethod embodiment from the standpoint of the messenger application. Amethod includes transmitting, from a messenger application on a userdevice, to a software module on the user device, a request associatedwith a potential payment. The request can include information about thepotential payment. The software module can be configured with a softwaremodule application programming interface that defines a protocol forcommunicating data between the messenger application and the softwaremodule, and can be configured to present a payment authorizationgraphical user interface. The payment authorization graphical userinterface can be capable of presenting payment transaction data. Themethod can include receiving, at the messenger application, from thesoftware module and via the software module application programminginterface, authorized payment data. The software module can access orreceive, based on the request and an authorization confirmation from auser, the authorized payment data for the potential payment from thedevice or a network-based entity separate from the device. The paymenttransaction data can include one or more of a payment method, a shippingmethod, a price, or an address. The payment can be from a first user ofthe messenger application to a second user of the messenger application.The first user and the second user can be registered with the messengerapplication. The authorized payment data can include cryptocurrencypayment data or a confirmation of a payment by a payment service.

In another aspect from the standpoint of a user device, a methodincludes providing, on a user device, a messenger application formanaging a dialog for a user of the messenger application, and, based ona buy interaction by the user via the dialog, authorizing payment datafor a payment through the messenger application by one or more of: (1)receiving, from the messenger application, at software module on theuser device, and via a software module application programming interfacethat defines a protocol for communicating data between the messengerapplication and the software module, a request for payment data, whereinthe request includes information about a potential payment, (2)retrieving, by the software module, based on the request and via thesoftware module application programming interface, authorized paymentdata for the potential payment from one of the user device or anetwork-based entity separate from the user device and (3)communicating, to the messenger application, from the software moduleand via the software module application programming interface, theauthorized payment data.

The method can include receiving, at the software module and via thesoftware module application programing interface, an address request,from the messenger application, for address data for the user. Themethod can include, in response to the address request, communicating,from the software module and via the software module applicationprogramming interface, the address data for the user to the messengerapplication. The authorized payment data can include one of paymentaccount information for the user that the messenger application can useto process the payment for a product or a confirmation that thenetwork-based entity separate from the user device processed the paymentfor the product.

In one aspect, the input from the user can include spoken input of theuser and wherein the response in the messenger application includes aspoken response.

Another messenger application aspect applies to a method which includesone or more of: transmitting, from a messenger application and as partof a dialog between a first entity and a second entity, a prompt fromthe first entity to the second entity, the messenger application beingon a user device, receiving, in connection with the prompt, user inputfrom the second entity, identifying, based on the user input, a paymentthe second entity desires to make to the first entity via the dialogand, based on a payment interaction by the second entity via the dialog,transmitting, from the messenger application, to a software module onthe user device, and via a software module application programminginterface that defines a protocol for communicating data between themessenger application and the software module, a payment request for thesoftware module to authorize transmission of authorized payment data ofthe second entity.

The method can further include, in response to the payment request,receiving, from the software module and via the software moduleapplication programming interface, the authorized payment data, whereinthe software module authorizes the authorized payment data by one ormore of: (1) retrieving, based on the payment request and via thesoftware module application programming interface, the authorizedpayment data for the payment from one of the user device operating thesoftware module or a network-based entity separate from the user deviceand (2) communicating, to the messenger application, from the softwaremodule and via the software module application programming interface,the authorized payment data.

The second entity can confirm the authorized payment data via one of agraphical user interface or a biometric interaction with the userdevice.

Another aspect can apply to a method which includes receiving, via amessenger application and as part of a dialog between a merchant siteand a user, an input from the user, responding, as part of the dialogand by the merchant site, to the input with a response in the messengerapplication, identifying a product the user desires to purchase from themerchant site via the dialog, and, based on a buy interaction by theuser via the dialog, authorizing payment data at a browser by: (1)receiving, from the merchant site, at the browser and via a browserpayment request application programming interface that defines aprotocol for communicating data between the merchant site and thebrowser, a request for payment data for purchasing the product, whereinthe request includes information about a potential purchase of theproduct, (2) retrieving, based on the request and via the browserpayment request application programming interface, authorized paymentdata for the purchase from one of the browser, a device operating thebrowser or a network-based entity separate from the device and (3)communicating, to the merchant site, from the browser and via thebrowser payment request application programming interface, theauthorized payment data.

FIG. 5 illustrates a general method example. The system receives userinput (502). The system accesses a product database or catalog inprocessing the user input (504). For example, if a new product just cameout and is available for purchase on-line, the system can access thatinformation so that when a user enters “iPhone 5S” the system can matchthat input with a product. The system analyzes the input (506) for adetermination of the user intent. For example, if the user enters “RhodeIsland” the system can calculate a very low likelihood that the userdesires to purchase Rhode Island. User profile, user search andpurchasing history, and any other data can be used by the algorithm todetermine how to structure an extendible menu to enable the user toquickly make a choice of what they desire. However, as the user entersadditional text, the system can update autocomplete options accordingly.For example, if the user enters “Rhode Island cookbook,” the system can,at some point, determine that the user is not likely interested in thestate, but in a cookbook, which is a purchasable item. The system canthen immediately adapt the autocomplete options automatically as theuser continues to enter additional text.

FIG. 5 next shows that the system constructs a drop-down menu (508) or apresentation of various options or object at any location in the userinterface. This construction can also include a marketing aspect ascompanies may pay for how the option is presented. Amazon.com, or aproduct manufacturer, can pay a small fee to present their product withgraphics or multimedia content, if it appears that the user may desireto buy that product, in order to encourage the user to select thatoption to purchase the product. The system presents the menu or otherstructured presentation of options for the user to choose (510). Theoptions include one or more purchasing options (512) when the user inputindicates via the algorithm that a purchase may be desired.

In another aspect, a classifier can process the user input in thegeneral unified search field. The classifier can be trained to determinethe intent of the user and to select which websites or applications toprovide in response to the input. Classification algorithms are oftenused in processing speech or phone calls. For example, someclassification features can process and classify calls in various calltypes like local, international, voicemail, conference, etc. In somecases, as a user calls an interactive voice response system, aclassifier can be trained using previous calls to process the user inputto conclude that the user wants to talk to accounting or pay a bill. Forexample, the user might say in the call “I want to pay a bill” or “Ineed help with my account.” By classifying that input, the system canroute the call to the right person, destination, or entity.

Technologies that are used for classification include statistics, datamining, pattern recognition, machine learning, and in some cases neuralcomputation and artificial intelligence. A general classification systemapproach involves receiving input, pre-processing the input, segmentingand labeling the input, extracting features from the input,post-processing, and ultimately classifying the input to arrive at adecision. While these principles have been applied in many fields, thesetechnologies can be applied to a new classification domain. The newclassification domain is the context or intent of a unified input fieldsuch as on a browser in which the user provides input, and that inputcan be applied to many different websites, applications, or actions.Right now, when a person goes to Google.com, the assumption is that theuser wants to search the internet. When a user goes to Amazon.com, theuser wants to buy something. The user must go to different websites forthese different functions, requiring additional, unnecessary mouseclicks. This disclosure provides, in one respect, the introduction of aclassifier that processes user input in a field on a website where thereis no assumption that the user wants to search or buy a product. Theclassifier will determine via a classification decision what the intentof the user is.

In order to train the classifier, which is called herein an ‘intentclassifier’, the system can monitor the web usage of a user for a periodof time. The classifier can utilize data of one user or multiple users.For example, one could generate training data of input at a Google inputfield compared to input in an amazon.com input field for people of aparticular demographic, such as 20-30 year old men, or women or aparticular minority or religious group. The training data preferablywould be particular in some respects to the individual user. If a useris logged into a browser such that it can connect to that user'straining data or relevant training data, then the system can moreefficiently process the user input in the unified input field. Thesystem can use supervised learning (or unsupervised or semi-supervisedlearning) to label the training set so that the training data canprovide which class (i.e., search, purchase, Wikipedia, etc.) the inputbelongs to. The training data involves the input provided via a searchfield as opposed to a purchase field. Other fields can apply as wellsuch as auctions, medical advice, twitter input text, Facebook inputtext, or any other social networking input text and so forth. Thegeneral concept is that there is no assumption when the user inputs datainto the field regarding what the desired function is.

Other data that can be useful for the training model is personal userinformation. For example, if the user is registered for making one-clickpurchases at amazon.com, then when the user types in “Android 4.4KitKat”, the system will know that the shortest number of clicks andcomputer interactions possible for the person to complete a purchase ofthe most popular smartphone with Android 4.4 is through Amazon.com.Otherwise, the user might be sent to another website and have to gothrough the shopping cart model, enter their credit card, and take a lotof extra time and effort to complete the purchase. Thus, knowing thatthe user is registered at one or two purchasing websites (thus enablinga quick “one-click” purchase) can drive the result of theclassification.

In another example, the classifier in this case can have classificationtypes of search, browse, purchase now, play game, update software, sendemail, send tweet, check Facebook, make call via Skype, and so forth.Some of the classification data for a trained model can be drawn fromthe different types of input that are used in input fields betweengoogle.com, amazon.com, Wikipedia.com, and so forth. The system fortraining the classifier can look at the different types of input inconnection with which website is being used and develops training data.In other cases, if a user types in “call mom”, such input would not beprovided in an input field because normally the user would go to theSkype App or other calling app and choose his mother to make the call.Thus, in other cases, training may occur in a different way to capturethat “command” type of input. However, since there is no assumption ofthe desired intent of the input at the start, such training can be usedto enable the user to perform a host of functions starting at one inputfield.

The user can in this case also provide hints as to the desired input. Itmight be quicker for the user to type “buy” before “iPhone 5S” so thatthe entire input is “buy iPhone 5S” than moving one's hand to the mouseand moving the mouse to click on an amazon.com tab in a browser or on anicon, or typing “www.amazon.com” in an input field for URL's. Clearly,the suggestion to buy tells the classifier that a purchase is theintent. Currently, typing in “buy iPhone 5S” is still considered via asearching algorithm in which search results are provided. The system canshow sponsored advertisements which enable the user to go to anadvertisement or promotional page for the iPhone 5S, but those stilltake additional clicks to get to the point of actually being able tomake a purchase. Further, the system can still present the results on awebpage (google.com) that does not enable the user to complete apurchase/delivery within one click.

Therefore, the classification algorithm according to this disclosure canutilize training data which includes different kinds of input that theuser or similar users have provided via input fields on various webpages to determine an intent describing which web page the user desiresto open, or which action the user desires to perform on the web page.The system can use other data to make the determination, such as time ofday, time of the year, social media data like birthdays of friends,holidays, weather information, which websites the user had madepurchases on and with which website the user has previously registered,etc.

For example, the classifier might determine that the user wants to makea purchase. The classifier can make a basic determination of an intentto search or an intent to make a purchase. Then the classifier can takea secondary step to determine based on history, user profile,registrations, best price, closest outlet to the user's address, etc.,at which merchant the user likely wants to make the purchase. If theuser has an account set up at amazon.com, then the system may chooseamazon as the primary likely destination and take the appropriate step.For example, the system can create a new tab with the input termpre-entered at amazon.com, or where the user can open the tab and be atthe state in the amazon.com website where the user can just click the“one-click purchase” button to complete the purchase. The system canpresent the new page in a new tab, within the same page as the unifiedinput field, or in some other fashion.

The system can, instead of a more traditional menu, present the optionsin a completely different form, such as a tag field. FIG. 6 illustratesoptions in which parameters associated with each selectable option arechosen based on relevance. For example, the system can select and modifypositioning, size, shape, color, detail, of the items in the tag fieldfor various options. Feature 602 is an Amazon one-click purchase.Feature 604 is a Google search and feature 606 is an eBay search. In atag cloud or word cloud, the size, shape, color, and other details ofthe items can provide information about the items. In this example, theAmazon one-click purchase 602 is listed in a large font, in bold, and inclose proximity to the search field 302. The large font can indicatethat the system has determined that it is highly relevant to the textentered in the search field. The bold font can indicate that clickingthe item will trigger a purchase. The eBay search 606 is similarlylarge, potentially indicating that it is also highly relevant, but notbold because there is no one-click purchase associated with that item606. The Google search 604 is presented to the side, in a smaller font,indicating that it may be of lesser relevance or importance. The variousdetails of these items can vary in a smooth, animated fashion as theuser enters additional information in the search field 302. For example,as the user enters more information about the specific desired iPhone,the system can adjust the Amazon 602 option on the user interface togradually increase in size, move closer to the search field, be drawnwith thicker lines, and so forth. The system can provide these detailsas an animation for the user so that increasingly relevant items arepresented in increasingly discoverable places or increasinglyprominently.

FIG. 6 illustrates various options of how to structure and present theselectable options from a one-search input field. In one aspect,traditional drop-down options can be presented in a normal fashion withpurchasing options presented like feature 602 in FIG. 6 thus providing afurther differentiation of which items are standard drop-down menu,auto-complete type options and which ones are one-click purchasing typeoptions. The system can, in the tag field or in other examples, presenttargeted advertising. For example, in FIG. 6 , the user could haveentered “buy Amazon iPhone 5S.” This would result in a high likelihoodor probability that the user wants to buy that product via Amazon, thuscausing the system to present feature 602 showing that option in a largefont and close to the input field 302. In other words, like tag cloudswhich make larger words of higher usage or interest in a story or fromcloud input. Feature 604 could represent a paid-for advertisement from acompetitor who may offer a cheaper price for the same product. Suchinformation could be presented as part of an icon or advertisementrepresented as feature 604.

A description of a basic general-purpose system or computing device inFIG. 7 which can be employed to practice the concepts, methods, andtechniques disclosed is illustrated. With reference to FIG. 7 , anexemplary system and/or computing device 700 includes a processing unit(CPU or processor) 720 and a system bus 710 that couples various systemcomponents including the system memory 730 such as read only memory(ROM) 740 and random access memory (RAM) 750 to the processor 720. Thesystem 700 can include a cache 722 of high-speed memory connecteddirectly with, in close proximity to, or integrated as part of theprocessor 720. The system 700 copies data from the memory 730 and/or thestorage device 760 to the cache 722 for quick access by the processor720. In this way, the cache provides a performance boost that avoidsprocessor 720 delays while waiting for data. These and other modules cancontrol or be configured to control the processor 720 to perform variousoperations or actions. Other system memory 730 may be available for useas well. The memory 730 can include multiple different types of memorywith different performance characteristics. It can be appreciated thatthe disclosure may operate on a computing device 700 with more than oneprocessor 720 or on a group or cluster of computing devices networkedtogether to provide greater processing capability. The processor 720 caninclude any general purpose processor and a hardware module or softwaremodule, such as module 1 762, module 2 764, and module 3 766 stored instorage device 760, configured to control the processor 720 as well as aspecial-purpose processor where software instructions are incorporatedinto the processor. The processor 720 may be a self-contained computingsystem, containing multiple cores or processors, a bus, memorycontroller, cache, etc. A multi-core processor may be symmetric orasymmetric. The processor 720 can include multiple processors, such as asystem having multiple, physically separate processors in differentsockets, or a system having multiple processor cores on a singlephysical chip. Similarly, the processor 720 can include multipledistributed processors located in multiple separate computing devices,but working together such as via a communications network. Multipleprocessors or processor cores can share resources such as memory 730 orthe cache 722, or can operate using independent resources. The processor720 can include one or more of a state machine, an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), or a programmable gate array (PGA) includinga field PGA.

The system bus 710 may be any of several types of bus structuresincluding a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and alocal bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. A basicinput/output (BIOS) stored in ROM 740 or the like, may provide the basicroutine that helps to transfer information between elements within thecomputing device 700, such as during start-up. The computing device 700further includes storage devices 760 or computer-readable storage mediasuch as a hard disk drive, a magnetic disk drive, an optical disk drive,tape drive, solid-state drive, RAM drive, removable storage devices, aredundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID), hybrid storage device, orthe like. The storage device 760 can include software modules 762, 764,766 for controlling the processor 720. The system 700 can include otherhardware or software modules. The storage device 760 is connected to thesystem bus 710 by a drive interface. The drives and the associatedcomputer-readable storage devices provide nonvolatile storage ofcomputer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules andother data for the computing device 700. In one aspect, a hardwaremodule that performs a particular function includes the softwarecomponent stored in a tangible computer-readable storage device inconnection with the necessary hardware components, such as the processor720, bus 710, display 770, and so forth, to carry out a particularfunction. In another aspect, the system can use a processor andcomputer-readable storage device to store instructions which, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, amethod or other specific actions. The basic components and appropriatevariations can be modified depending on the type of device, such aswhether the device 700 is a small, handheld computing device, a desktopcomputer, or a computer server. When the processor 720 executesinstructions to perform “operations”, the processor 720 can perform theoperations directly and/or facilitate, direct, or cooperate with anotherdevice or component to perform the operations.

Although the exemplary example(s) described herein employs the hard disk760, other types of computer-readable storage devices which can storedata that are accessible by a computer, such as magnetic cassettes,flash memory cards, digital versatile disks (DVDs), cartridges, randomaccess memories (RAMs) 750, read only memory (ROM) 740, a cablecontaining a bit stream and the like, may also be used in the exemplaryoperating environment. Tangible computer-readable storage media,computer-readable storage devices, or computer-readable memory devices,expressly exclude media such as transitory waves, energy, carriersignals, electromagnetic waves, and signals per se.

To enable user interaction with the computing device 700, an inputdevice 790 represents any number of input mechanisms, such as amicrophone for speech, a touch-sensitive screen for gesture or graphicalinput, keyboard, mouse, motion input, speech and so forth. An outputdevice 770 can also be one or more of a number of output mechanismsknown to those of skill in the art. In some instances, multimodalsystems enable a user to provide multiple types of input to communicatewith the computing device 700. The communications interface 780generally governs and manages the user input and system output. There isno restriction on operating on any particular hardware arrangement andtherefore the basic hardware depicted may easily be substituted forimproved hardware or firmware arrangements as they are developed.

For clarity of explanation, the illustrative system example is presentedas including individual functional blocks including functional blockslabeled as a “processor” or processor 720. The functions these blocksrepresent may be provided through the use of either shared or dedicatedhardware, including, but not limited to, hardware capable of executingsoftware and hardware, such as a processor 720, that is purpose-built tooperate as an equivalent to software executing on a general purposeprocessor. For example the functions of one or more processors presentedin FIG. 7 may be provided by a single shared processor or multipleprocessors. (Use of the term “processor” should not be construed torefer exclusively to hardware capable of executing software.)Illustrative examples may include microprocessor and/or digital signalprocessor (DSP) hardware, read-only memory (ROM) 740 for storingsoftware performing the operations described below, and random accessmemory (RAM) 750 for storing results. Very large scale integration(VLSI) hardware examples, as well as custom VLSI circuitry incombination with a general purpose DSP circuit, may also be provided.

The logical operations of the various examples are implemented as: (1) asequence of computer implemented steps, operations, or proceduresrunning on a programmable circuit within a general use computer, (2) asequence of computer implemented steps, operations, or proceduresrunning on a specific-use programmable circuit; and/or (3)interconnected machine modules or program engines within theprogrammable circuits. The system 700 shown in FIG. 7 can practice allor part of the recited methods, can be a part of the recited systems,and/or can operate according to instructions in the recited tangiblecomputer-readable storage devices. Such logical operations can beimplemented as modules configured to control the processor 720 toperform particular functions according to the programming of the module.For example, FIG. 7 illustrates three modules Mod1 762, Mod2 764 andMod3 766 which are modules configured to control the processor 720.These modules may be stored on the storage device 760 and loaded intoRAM 750 or memory 730 at runtime or may be stored in othercomputer-readable memory locations.

One or more parts of the example computing device 700, up to andincluding the entire computing device 700, can be virtualized. Forexample, a virtual processor can be a software object that executesaccording to a particular instruction set, even when a physicalprocessor of the same type as the virtual processor is unavailable. Avirtualization layer or a virtual “host” can enable virtualizedcomponents of one or more different computing devices or device types bytranslating virtualized operations to actual operations. Ultimatelyhowever, virtualized hardware of every type is implemented or executedby some underlying physical hardware. Thus, a virtualization computelayer can operate on top of a physical compute layer. The virtualizationcompute layer can include one or more of a virtual machine, an overlaynetwork, a hypervisor, virtual switching, and any other virtualizationapplication.

The processor 720 can include all types of processors disclosed herein,including a virtual processor. However, when referring to a virtualprocessor, the processor 720 includes the software components associatedwith executing the virtual processor in a virtualization layer andunderlying hardware necessary to execute the virtualization layer. Thesystem 700 can include a physical or virtual processor 720 that receiveinstructions stored in a computer-readable storage device, which causethe processor 720 to perform certain operations. When referring to avirtual processor 720, the system also includes the underlying physicalhardware executing the virtual processor 720.

In each case within this disclosure, reference to “Amazon” orAmazon.com” is broad enough to encompass any purchasing/delivery orecommerce website, as well as websites for traditional, brick-and-mortarbusinesses that provide goods or services. References to a “Google” siteor search refer to any generalized search engine. In many instances, theprinciples set forth herein may be applicable to other, non-search andnon-commerce sites, which the system can manipulate or traverse in orderto accomplish a specific, intended action on behalf of the user.

The system of FIG. 7 can also represent a virtual reality device. Thedevice can be a headset that is entirely contained or can include aheadset that receives a mobile device such as a Samsung device or aniPhone or other mobile device. In this regard, the features of FIG. 7can include the components of such a headset. The input device 790 canrepresent one or more different types of input devices, such as a camerafor taking still images or video, a fingerprint reader which can beconfigured on a side of the headset for easy confirmation of purchasesby a user, while in a virtual reality environment. The output device 770can represent a screen through which the user views images. Acommunication interface 780 can provide a Wi-Fi, or cellular or otherwireless communication means with other devices, access points, basestations, and so forth. The adjudication interface 780 may alsorepresent an interface between a removable mobile device and the headsetfor communicating data between the two components. Memory 730 canrepresent any standard memory used in the art as well as a secureelement which can be used to store payment information and/or other userinformation in a secure manner for use in payment processes such asApple Pay.

In one example, a virtual reality headset includes electricalcomponents, such that a fingerprint reader can be configured on the topor a side of the headset. The fingerprint reader component can be builtinto the headset and configured in a position easy for the user toaccess while they are in a virtual reality environment. In thisscenario, if the user makes a purchase within the virtual realityenvironment, there using a payment process which requires a fingerprintauthorization, the user could provide a fingerprint on the side of theheadset to complete the purchase. The virtual reality environment,instructions could be provided to the user on the screen which couldeven points to the area on the headset where the fingerprint reader ispositioned. The virtual reality headset could also include browsersoftware or software or firmware with similar functionality which isconfigured to be able to communicate with merchant sites via the browserpayment request application programming interface. Accordingly, theapplication which presents the virtual environment could act as abrowser. In this respect and be programmed with the browser APIprotocols, either store the necessary payment and other user data, orhave the communication capability of accessing external payment and/orother user data, which can be accessed wirelessly from a mobile deviceof the user which stores such data in, for example, a Microsoft wallet,and android wallet, a crypto current to wallet, and Apple pay wallet,and so forth. In one aspect the browser API will be enabled to processtwo purchases at once where a separate instance of the API of thebrowser can engage in a browser API interface payment dialog on twoseparate sites at once. If the user tries to do two at the same time,the system could identify one interface as a first interface and asecond interface as the second interface and separately manage thepayments for the two separate sites at the same time.

Some virtual reality sets also include handheld components that can beused to present items such as baseball bats or fishing poles in thevirtual reality environment. These communicate wirelessly with theheadset and monitor the position and movement of each unit such that ifthe user is swinging a bat, the bat shows up in the virtual world. Thesehandheld component s could also have a fingerprint identification onthem such that a user may be holding a handheld unit in his left handand make a purchase in the virtual environment. Then, the user can touchthe sensor with his right hand index finger to provide the confirmingfingerprint. The data can be communicated through Bluetooth or otherprotocol or wired to the user device or headset which can utilize theinformation as disclosed herein to make a purchase.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example method. In each case, wherever a “website”is mentioned, an application or site could also apply, such as when amobile application is used to access data. A system will perform thesteps of the method. The system presents an input field on a userinterface of a website (802) and receives user input from a user in theinput field (804). The system analyzes the input to determine whetherthe user wanted a search, to make a purchase, to perform some otherfunction such as making a call, or watching a video, and so forth. Thesystem presents a set of options, each option of the set of optionsbeing presented outside of the input field and being associated withprocessing the user input as though the user had entered the user inputinto a third-party website input field (806). Of course one option couldbe presented as well. FIGS. 2 and 3 provide examples of presenting theset of options for processing. A component of this approach is that theinput field is not pre-designated or pre-designed to process the inputin one particular context, but the input field is open to a variety ofways of processing the input, thus reducing the number of clicksnecessary to navigate from one website to another to input data. Thesystem receives a user selection of a chosen option of the set ofoptions (808) and processes the user input according to the chosenoption (810).

A first option of the set of options can be associated with a searchengine and a second option of the set of options is associated with apurchase-processing engine. If the chosen option is the second optionand associated with a purchase-processing engine, then the system willidentify an item associated with the user input and process a purchaseof the item and delivery of the item to the user. If the chosen optionis the first option and associated with a search engine, then the systemprocesses the user input to perform a search associated with the userinput and returns search results. The method can also includeidentifying respective types for the set of options and presenting theset of options in groups based on the respective types.

The user input can include at least one of text input, multimodal input,gesture input, or voice input, or any combination thereof. The user canhave a pre-existing account storing preferences governing how the set ofoptions are presented. The browser API could also work in any kind ofinterface, such as a television interface where users could be enabledto buy items if the interface is considered a browser interface.

Executing an Action Based on Input Directed to a User InterfaceIntegrated from Another Source

FIG. 9 illustrates a user interface associated with an example oftransitioning from an input field to a destination site. In this exampleuser interface, the user enters the text “iPhone 5S” into a unifiedinput field 902. The browser communicates the text to a one-searchserver that returns navigation destinations. The web browser can render“tears” 904, 908 in the page that appear to be holes in the interfacepeering into underlying other pages. The tears have two positionconsiderations, the position of the tears in the host page, and the viewof the tears onto the destination page. The system can consider both ofthese positions when determining the location and size of the tears topresent. The user can click on the tear to navigate to that destinationwebsite. In that case, the tear can transition in the same manner as aclick on a link to navigate to a different page, or can present ananimated transition, such as expanding the boundaries of the tear untilthe tear completely replaces the previous page. The tears can includevarious controls 906, 910, 914 fitted along an edge of the respectivetear so a user can manipulate the tear to move, maximize 906 a, expand906 b, 910 b, preview 910 c, 906 d, close 910 a, go to the page 906 c,or perform some other action on the tear. Further, the user can directlymanipulate exposed user interface elements shown in the tear, such asthe one-click purchase button 905 or the view shopping cart button 907.Some tears can show other non-web actions, such as a view into a Skypeapplication to make a call. The system can position tears that are acloser match to an intent determined from the text entered in theunified input field so the more important tears are closer to the mousecursor 916 or to the unified input field, for example. The system canexpand a tear dynamically as a mouse 916 moves closer to the tear, andshrink the tear as the mouse 916 moves farther away. The tear edges canbe any shape, including standard geometric shapes, or can have morecomplex edges that are sharp or smooth, or that are dynamic and canchange based on various factors.

In a touch-based interface, a user can use touch gestures to manipulatethe tears. For example, the user can tap and hold on a tear to beginmoving the tear around on the page. The user can swipe to move the viewof the page in the tear, or pinch to zoom on a page displayed in thetear. A user can double tap on a tear to navigate to the page displayedin the tear. The system can display content in the tears at a same zoomfactor as the host page, or can shrink the content displayed in thetears to display a broader view of the content.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example method for executing an action based oninput directed to a user interface integrated from another source. Inthis example, a system performing the method receives user input in aunified input field (1002). The system analyzes the user input to yieldan analysis (1004). The system dynamically presents, based on theanalysis, at least one tear revealing at least a portion of underlyinguser interface from a separate site or application, the underlying userinterface integrating the user input (1006). The system receives acontrol input from the user for performing a function associated withthe tear (1008). The system can then carry out the function (1010).

Modifiable Enter Button

A system, method and computer-readable storage devices are disclosedwhich dynamically morph or adapt the search button associated with aunified input field based on an intent determined via a classifier andbased on text provided to the unified input field. Typically a unifiedinput field has two main components: a text input field, and a searchbutton to execute a search based on input provided via the text inputfield. The search button is typically labeled with the text “search” or“go” or something similarly generic. However, as the user enters asearch term, the system can identify some other, more specific action,and can modify the search button to not only display dynamically adifferent text or graphical label, but can also modify the actionassociated with the button accordingly. Additionally, the system canexpand the single search button into multiple buttons.

For example, the user enters the text “Apple.” At that point, theclassifier does not determine that the text string “Apple” issufficiently tied to a specific action or item to modify the label onthe search button. So the search button remains unchanged. The usercontinues to enter the text “Apple iPhone.” At this point the classifieridentifies, based on the additional text, that several specific items oractions are likely, but too many of the items or actions are availableor none are above a certainty threshold to modify the search button. Theuser continues on to enter the text “Apple iPhone 5S,” at which pointthe classifier identifies a model of iPhone, the 5S. Then, based on userpreferences or on other available data, the classifier can identify aspecific variant of the iPhone 5S, such as a gold 64 GB iPhone 5S. Thus,the system can modify the label of the search button to no longer say“search,” but instead to say “Purchase iPhone 5S, 64 GB, Gold.” The usercan, at that point, simply hit enter on the keyboard to execute thataction and purchase the indicated iPhone 5S. The enter function is thusdynamic and changes from a first time in a default mode to a secondfunction at a second time after the user starts typing a search query.

As an alternative to modifying the search button, the system cangenerate and present additional buttons next to the search button or amenu that drops down or up or any other interface. The system canprovide an indication that different keys or key combinations willactivate the different buttons. For example, hitting enter will activatethe functionality associated with the “search” button, while hittingctrl-enter will activate the functionality of the “Purchase iPhone 5S,64 GB, Gold” button. Moving a cursor over an object can trigger oractivate the change in the function performed when the user hits“enter.” As the system presents additional buttons, the user can alsoclick on the additional buttons to activate their various associatedactions.

In some cases, the modified button can still require some additionaldisambiguation. For example, the modified button can be labeled“Purchase iPhone 5S, 64 GB.” As the user presses enter to activate themodified button, the system can present an additional dialog or buttonmodification, such as modifying the button to say “Press enter once forGold, twice for Silver, or thrice for Black.” After the user providesthat input, the system can modify the button label to say “Press enteronce to purchase from Apple, twice to purchase from Amazon.” The systemcan modify the button label with these additional messages, or canpresent them at some other location on the page. In this way, the usercan quickly enter the text associated with a desired action or purchase,and select the various options easily and without moving his or herhands back and forth between the keyboard and the mouse, and cannavigate between a disambiguation decision tree using very simple andfamiliar inputs.

If the user makes a mistake or wants to cancel the selection, the usercan simply hit backspace to delete characters in the entered text, whichwould potentially change the context, and trigger a reset of themodified button and corresponding action or actions. If the user made amistake and wants to back out of the selection, he or she can simply hitthe escape key or provide some keyboard, mouse, or other inputindicating to the system to go back.

The system can learn the behavior patterns and preferences of the userand adapt accordingly, so that, over time, the system can require lessand less input from the user to accurately determine or classify theuser's intent. For example, the system can know which items the user hasalready purchased, which items the user has discussed with friends orfamily, which gift-giving events are coming up soon, and so forth. Basedon all these data points, the classifier can make more accurate guessesregarding the user's possible or likely intent.

In a mobile device, which does not have a mouse and a keyboard, butinstead is typically equipped with a touch sensitive screen or a stylus,the approaches set forth above may be modified. For example, instead ofmodifying a button in a traditional desktop style search field andsearch button pair, a mobile variation of the system can provide asearch field for the user to enter text via an on-screen virtualkeyboard, voice input, or some other input approach. As the user inputstext, the system can present a list of one-click actions in a drop-downmanner from the search field. While some of the one-click actions may beimplementing a search in the traditional manner, other one-click actionsmay include navigating to a specific stage in a website, such as thestage in Amazon.com where the user is already logged in and simply hasto execute the “one click” to purchase, or placing a bid on eBay, or atthe final check-out phase of an online merchant's shopping cart with adesired item already added to the shopping cart. The user can dismissone-click actions in the list by swiping them off the screen.

Adjustable Enter Functions as the User Enters Input

Another concept disclosed herein relates to approaches for dynamicallymodifying an enter function that will process user input as the userenters the input. For example, as the user starts to type text in aninput field, a default function might be a Google search on the text.However, as the user types the second portion of the text, the functionthat occurs when the user hits enter can be modified into an Amazon.comsearch on the text. Visual indications of the change in the enterfunction can be presented in a menu system or via selectable objects.FIG. 11 illustrates a method example. The steps in the method examplecan be performed in any order, can be performed in other combinations orpermutations that include additional steps or exclude all or part ofsome of the described steps. The system can present in a user interfacean input field and a button that morphs between a first mode ofsearching and a second mode of performing a one-click purchase anddelivery based on input from the user in the input field, the buttonperforming its respective function based on the user pressing an enterkey (1102). The user interface, while receiving the input, can presentdisambiguation information indicating to the user what key entry isneeded to disambiguate the item to be purchased, and wherein uponreceiving the key entry from the user such that a confidence level inthe item desired to be purchased meets a threshold, the button can morphinto the second mode. The first mode of the button can be a default modefor the button.

The system can analyze the input from the user into the input field todetermine whether the user desires to perform a search or to make apurchase to yield a determination (1104). If the determination indicatesthat the user desires to make a purchase, then the system can set thebutton in the second mode and present data about an item that will bepurchased and delivered according to a registered account of the userwithout further input from the user other than pressing the enter key(1106). The system can manage the entire process of buying anddelivering an item by processing a payment for the item from theregistered account associated with the input field entity andcoordinating the delivery of the item through a business partnermerchant. The item can be a product or a service. The system can selectthe item that will be purchased and delivered based on a probabilitythat the item is a most likely item that the user desires to purchasebased on the input. For example, a classifier can determine theprobabilities and the items based on a user history of purchases, a userhistory of searches, a time of day, a time of year, social media data,information about holidays, user profile data, and/or user accountbalance information. The purchase and delivery data can be retrievedthrough the browser API disclosed herein between the destinationmerchant site and a browser of the user. The second mode can alsoinclude a transition to a second destination site (such as Amazon.com)in a searched state based on the user input, as though the user hadnavigated to Amazon.com (or any other secondary site) and entered in theuser input and clicked search.

FIG. 12A illustrates a user interface 1200 with a generalized inputfield 1202 and a morphable search button 1204. The search button 1204 isreally a generalized function button. The system can instruct the user1206 to input a query or other input. The difference in this approach isthat the function performed by hitting the “search” button will differdepending on the user input. This will be explained in stepping throughthe figures. FIG. 12B shows input in the interface 1210 starting to beput into the field 1202 of the word “Apple” 1212. The system processesthis input to determine whether to change or modify the functionperformed when the user clicks “search” 1204 or hits the enter button.FIG. 12C illustrates additional input “Apple iPhone” 1222 in the userinterface 1220. The system would continue to process that input andwould be beginning to determine that perhaps the user desires to performthe function of a purchase as opposed to just a Google-type search. FIG.12D illustrates an interface 1230 in which the input has continued to bemore specific to include “Apple iPhone 5s” 1232. At a threshold point inanalyzing the user input, the system reaches a high enough confidencethat a particular function is desired. This could be based on historicalsearching data or the text itself independent of history. Here, thesystem changes the button 1204 from “search” to “Purchase iPhone 5s, 64GB, Gold” 1234. Options not identified in the user input can be insertedinto the text such that disambiguation can occur as well. But in thisinstance, the system, from a unified, generalized input field (fromwhich searches and purchases can be made), enables the user to simplypress “enter” or click on button 1204 in FIG. 12D and complete theprocessing and delivery of the purchase.

As can be appreciated, the approach enables a dynamic modification ofthe function that is carried out when the user hits enter or clicks onan icon, 1204. In some interfaces, such as is shown in FIG. 3 , thedefault process 304 is presented right below the input field 302. Thus,given the state of the interface of FIG. 3 , if the user hit enter, thena Google search for the words “iphone 5s” would be carried out. Applyingthe principles described with respect to a dynamically changing resultwhen hitting the enter key is the user types their input, in oneexample, if the user were to continue typing in the input field 302“Apple iphone 5s”, the order of items in the menu could be modified suchthat the Amazon search option 312 is moved to the position where thedefault Google search 304 option is. This would be the indication to theuser, like the changing button in FIG. 12D, that hitting enter willcarry out a different process than would have been carried out when theuser began typing.

A further interface can include which various buttons are presented forclicking on by the user. Buttons can show different options for the userto make the purchase via “one-click.” If there is still a likelihoodthat the user may simply want to search, then the search button can alsobe made available. One of these can be highlighted in some way toidentify that if the user hits “enter” on the keyboard, that theparticular highlighted button will be the one that will process theinput as a purchase or a search. In this manner, the user can enter theinput data first, and then perform the function, rather than firstnavigating to a website (like Google or Amazon.com), and then enteringthe user input data. Another interface allows the user to give a directhint by typing “purchase iPhone 5S, 64 GB, Gold.” In this case, thesystem could then present options for the user to purchase it throughApple with shipping information, or Amazon with its price and shippinginformation 1256 or through a carrier, for in store pickup. The systemnegotiates the necessary purchasing information (credit card, debitcard, delivery address, etc.) with the various websites so that it ispresented to the user as a one-click purchase in the interface. Thiscurrently is not available to users and they must navigate to theseparate website, like Amazon.com, where they have such informationregistered.

In another example of how the search button can be morphed, in somebrowsers, the input field at the top can be used to either enter a URLor enter a Google search. When you start with a search, there is a tagto the right of your typing that indicates what is going on. Forexample, like this: “dentists Dunkirk Maryland—google search.” The“google search” language is not what the user types but is an indicationthat the browser is treating the text as a Google search. This text ofcourse can also be morphed such that as the text being typed isanalyzed, the indication to the user of what will happen when “enter” ishit can change. For example, the user may start typing and see thefollowing: “apple—google search.” However, as the user continues totype, it may change as follows: “apple iPhone 5s—Amazon search.” As theuser continued to type and disambiguate, it could result in thefollowing: “apple iPhone 5s 64 GB silver—Amazon one-click purchase.” Atthis point, the user can hit “enter” and the system coordinates theinformation necessary to identify the product, purchase accountinformation (which can be with one entity) and delivery information suchthat the desired product can be purchased and delivered to the user.Delivery can be managed by a second merchant entity from one entity thathandles the payment processing.

FIG. 12E illustrates an example method addressing a process of changingfrom a default processing of user input to a first destination site(such as a default Google search based on the user input) to a seconddestination site (such as Amazon.com, Wikipedia, or any site). Themethod includes presenting an input field on a browser, wherein thebrowser is configured to generally process input within the input field,based on a user interaction indicating to the browser to process theinput, according to a default destination site (1240) and receiving userinput into the input field (1242). The user input can, in one case, besearch terms and not a URL to a specific website. Based on the userinput, the method includes dynamically presenting an object indicating asecond destination site to which the user would transition if the userentered the user input into the input field (1244), receiving aprocessing interaction from the user indicating to the browser toprocess the user input as indicated by the object (1246), and, based onthe processing interaction, changing from the default destination siteto the second destination site (1248) and transitioning the user to thesecond destination site in a processed state according to the user input(1250).

As an example of the process shown in FIG. 12E, assume the browser hasas his default processing setting a Google search. If the user enters in“north dakota” in his enter on the keyboard or clicks on an objectindicate to process the input, then the result presented to the userwould be a Google search result for the words “north dakota”. However,based on different user input, and in one aspect guided by previoussearch history or navigation on the browser, the browser can indicatevia a button, object, additional text automatically presented in theinput field, or an item in a menu, that if the user hits enter on thekeyboard or clicks on an object, that the user input will not beprocessed by the default approach but that a change or transition willoccur such that a different destination site or search will be performedwhen the user clicks on enter. The user might type in “apple iphone 5s”and hit enter, and based on the analysis of the user input as the useris typing, the system can change from the default process to processingthe input and transitioning the user to www.apple.com or www.amazon.com,or to any site. Thus, the processing that occurs based on the userhitting enter or the like dynamically changes while the user is typing.The system will, based on the user hitting enter, either process anormal default Google search if the input does not relate to sayproducts at Amazon.com, or if an analysis of the input indicates that itcould be product related, the system changes the result of the userhitting enter into an Amazon.com search, or other merchant site searchand transitions to the destination site.

FIG. 12F illustrates another aspect of dynamically changing theprocessing of the user input. The method includes presenting a userinput field that processes input according to a default destination site(1260), receiving user input in the input field (1262), based on theuser input, automatically presenting an object indicating that if theuser enters the user input in the input field, that the user willtransition to a second destination site that differs from the defaultdestination site (1264), and receiving a confirmation from the user toprocess the user input (1266). The method further includes, based on theconfirmation, transitioning the user to the second destination site(1268). The confirmation can be the user hitting an enter button,providing some other type of input indicating that the user input shouldbe processed or pressing the enter key on a keyboard. The order of itemsin a menu can also dynamically adjust as the user types such that thedefault site changes while typing. The user can monitor these changeswhile typing and arrive at a one click opportunity to transition to thechosen destination site. The one click can be the enter button on akeyboard or a click object for processing the user input. It is notedthat No other input necessary. The presenting of the object is based onthe typing of input into the user input field and without any othermanual interaction from the user. It is noted that the user does nothave to touch the enter button by the object is presented dynamically asthe user types and based on an analysis of the input as the user types.Thus, the change in destination site process can occur dynamically asthe user types.

Another example, based on the discussion above could be from thestandpoint of the destination site. Thus, whatever coordination orcommunication of data would be necessary would be included as anembodiment, such that a destination site such as Amazon.com, eBay orWikipedia or any other site, could receive a transition from user inputin an input field such that the default destination site gets modifiedto a secondary destination site. This embodiment would include receivingsuch a transition at the destination site in which the transition wasenabled via the process is set forth above.

Another aspect of this disclosure relates to the timing of the process.A first time can be established as a time prior to a user entering datainto the input field and/or a portion of time as the user begins typingin input into the input field. At the first time, an enter function isestablished as a default action when the user types in input and hitsthe enter key. For example, if a default enter function is a Googlesearch, then at the first time, as a user begins to type in text into aninput field, the default enter function is a Google search, which meansif a user hits enter with the text in the input field a Google searchwill be performed on the text. At a second time, which is after thefirst time, which is after the user starts typing input, the system canchange the enter function. For example, after the user types one word ortwo words (which if the user hits enter after the first word or thesecond word, the first default function would be performed) and types athird word, based on the overall input or part of the input, the systemdetermines that a different function should be performed when the userhits enter after the third word. The system then changes the enterfunction from the default function to a new enter function. The systemmay determine that a product is entered into the field rather than aplace or other inquiry which indicates more of a search intent ratherthan a purchase intent. A graphical object can also change at the secondtime to inform the user that the enter function has been changed. Theobject can be a button, an item in a drop-down menu or other menu, or arearranging of a menu such the enter function identified in the menuchanges. The change may be automatic without any user input or thechange in one or more of the enter function or a graphical indication ofa change in the enter function can be triggered by the user interactingwith a menu item or other object which triggers the change, such asmoving a cursor over identification of what a suggested new enterfunction would be, which can cause the change to occur. It is also notedthat in one aspect the input by a user relates to search terms and not aURL of a website. Some input fields on browsers enable the user to entera default Google search or a www.website.com URL, in which case, whenthey hit “enter”, they are transitioned to the www.website.com. Thus,the input in one scenario differs from a URL or website identifier.

In another aspect, the user input can be characterized as a firstportion and a second portion. FIGS. 12A-12C illustrate an input fieldwith no data, or the beginning of a search query, such as the word“apple” and “iphone.” This text can represent a first portion of theuser input. While the user is entering the first portion, the defaultenter function 1204 is operational. If the user clicks on the searchbutton or hits enter on the keyboard, the default search function willbe carried out. As the user enters the first portion of the user input,an enter function is set such that if the user interacts with an enterbutton while entering at least part of the first portion of the userinput, the method includes processing the first portion of the userinput according to the default destination site. FIG. 12D illustratesadditional text “5s”, which can represent a second portion of the userinput. As the user begins to enter the second portion of the user input,the enter function is changed or set such that if the user interactswith the enter button while entering at least part of the second portionof the user input, the method includes processing the user inputaccording to the second destination site, which is shown in FIG. 12D asa purchase function 1234 but could include a transition to a seconddestination site such as Amazon.com with the user input processed asthough the user had entered in the user input into a search field of thesecond destination site. The transition of the enter unction from adefault function to a secondary function can occur automatically basedon the typing, and can be presented in objects next to the input field,or adjustments made to a drop up or drop-down menu or can be triggeredby some user interaction.

FIG. 13 illustrates a smartphone version of a user interface 1300 inwhich the input field 1302 has data 1304 that results in various options1308 presented. A mobile keyboard 1306 is shown as well. Here, theone—search input field 1302 enables the user to put in a generalizedinput and have various “one-click” options 1308 to scroll through toprocess the input. Other user interfaces 1300 of course are contemplatedfor a mobile device or computer. An application and/or backendassociated with the interface 1300 can preprocess purchasing anddelivery information with various websites, vendors, etc. to enable theuser to scan through options 1308 from different sources and just“one-click” from the chosen source. Further, the system can presentpreprocessed input to a stage not quite at a “one-click” stage but at asearch-result stage such that the user can browse and study more beforepurchasing. For example, the results 1308 can indicate that theadvertisement is associated with a buy now option and would be processedaccording to the principles disclosed herein, such as where the searchentity has stored payment information for processing a payment and iscommunicating with the merchant which will handle delivery. As can beseen in FIG. 13 , various merchant branding can be provided in theresponses such that merchants can maintain a relationship with the buyerbut the purchase process is simplified using the buy option features andAPIs disclosed herein.

In one aspect, the various destination options 1308 can switch positionsas the user types in the query. For example, as the user begins to typea first portion of the user input at a first time, the top level optionmight be a search engine which indicates which function will beperformed when the user hits enter. As the user continues to type asecond portion of the user input, say “5s” as is shown in FIG. 13 , thedestination functions may adjust based on that input such that adifferent top level destination function is presented. Thus, if the userhits enter after typing at least some of the second portion of the userinput, the user input will be processed according to the secondaryfunction that is identified to the user by virtue of being on atop-level of the menu items 1308.

Universal Search Application Programming Interface (API)

A system, method and computer-readable storage devices are disclosedwhich replace a URL based on intent determined by a classifier thatprocesses input provided to the unified input field. In a typical websearch, a user clicks to select a search field, enters text, waits forthe results page to load, clicks a desired link in the results page, andfinally arrives at the desired link after waiting for it to load. Thisprocess requires many steps. A unified input field can simplify thisprocess.

For example, one-search.com can provide a unified input field. The userprovides input via the unified input field, such as a search for “iPhone5S.” The system can identify, based on a user profile and on the enteredtext, a most likely desired page, such as a top ranked page in a listingof search results. The system can modify the “search” button associatedwith the unified input field to indicate that pressing enter or clickingthe button would transition the user to that top ranked page from thesearch results without the intermediate steps outlined above. However,if the user enters additional information, such as “iPhone 5S 32 GBSilver,” then the classifier can determine, based on the text and inconjunction with a user profile or search history, that the user'sintent is to purchase the indicated iPhone. In this situation, thesystem can modify the search button to link directly to an Amazon.com orApple.com page as if the user had already navigated there, selected theiPhone 5S, 32 GB, silver, added the iPhone to the cart, and was at anadvanced stage or potentially the final stage in the check-out process.In the case of Amazon.com, the system could modify the button totransition the user to a page ready for the user to make a one-clickpurchase of the indicated iPhone. Alternatively, the system can modifythe button to also include the action of clicking the one-click purchasebutton, so that the user can go to one-search.com, enter the text in theunified input field, and hit enter to purchase through Amazon. In thiscase, hitting enter after entering the text in the unified input fieldcould lead to a purchase summary of the just-executed order, potentiallyallowing the user to modify shipping options, product options, billinginformation, or other order details. In another variation, the systemcan place the order automatically based on the user hitting enter in theunified input field, or based on an interaction with a social media siteor any site, and transition the user to a webpage for purchasingaccessories, service related to the item purchased, technical supportpages, or some other related web resource.

Thus, the system can immediately transition the user from aone-search.com unified input field or any site to a one-click purchasepage on Amazon, for example, when the user hits enter in the unifiedinput field or processing input or interaction on any site. The systemcould also include the purchase in the transition action, so that thepurchase is completed based on the user pressing enter in the unifiedinput field. In this regard, one-search.com would handle the purchasebut then coordinate with the second entity such as Amazon.com or amerchant to complete the delivery of the item.

The system can present different options or different destinations basedon user input. For example, the system can present a message orindication that pressing “enter” by itself would transition the user toa one-click purchase page for the desired item on Amazon.com, whilepressing “alt-enter” would automatically make the purchase onAmazon.com. The system can present a message to the user stating thatpressing “shift-enter” would transition the user to a pre-populatedshopping cart page on Apple.com, ready for the user to click “submitorder.” Multiple different keys and/or key combinations can triggerdifferent behaviors based on the input in the unified input field.Further, the various actions and key combinations triggering thoseactions can change as the user enters additional text in the unifiedinput field, or modifies text in the unified input field.

The user can establish preferences with the system, such as indicatingthat all purchases default to Amazon.com unless the price difference isgreater than 20% at a different retailer with which the user has anexisting account, or a price difference greater than 30% at a differentretailer with which the user does not have an existing account. In thisway, the system can act intelligently based on rules or policies thatthe user establishes.

In one aspect, the system can act intelligently based on financialpolicies that the user establishes. The system can compare potentialpurchase prices at differing retailers against user-establishedfinancial policies and can make a determination accordingly. Forexample, an existing policy can state that each month the user islimited to a certain amount of spending money online, such as $500. Whenthe user approaches the online spending limit, the system can advise theuser that a particular purchase would completely deplete the user of anymore spending money for the month. The user can then make a purchasedecision with this additional information. For instance, the user mayopt to buy a moderately priced iPhone instead of buying the mostexpensive iPhone due to monetary constraints. Or, the user may opt towait until the following month to buy the most expensive iPhone when theuser has more online spending money. The user may decide to go aheadwith the purchase anyway, although it violates an established financialpolicy because the user feels it is an immediate necessity, such as aworking phone. Other rules or policies are contemplated that wouldenable the system to act intelligently on behalf of the user. Thisapproach can also apply to the scenario shown in FIG. 17I in which abrowser shopping cart can apply across multiple purchasing sites.Multiple items to be put in the shopping cart from various sites andprior to making a purchase, a policy could be applied which, prior tothe purchase being finalized, would analyze the user's financialcondition as though the user had made the purchases and makerecommendations. The recommendations could include not making any of thepurchases, only purchasing one item in the shopping cart, and/or makingany other combination of. Suggestions such that the user's financialcondition can be maintained in the proper state according to thealgorithm applied. application Ser. No. 14/046,444, filed Oct. 2, 2013,includes a number of concepts which can be applied to the browsershopping cart model disclosed herein. This application is incorporatedherein by reference.

Once the user clicks enter, the system can transition immediately to thenew URL or destination site as if the user had clicked and navigatedthrough a series of pages in a shopping cart, loading each page in turnand entering data automatically on the browser side, or the system cancommunicate with the target website directly to accomplish the varioussub-tasks associated with selecting an item, adding that item to a cart,entering or selecting shipping and payment information, and so forth,leading up to the final stage where the user simply clicks “submitorder.” The browser API could be used to manage the payment process. Oneexample of such sub-tasks is that the one-search entity can processpayment information and coordinate delivery data to the merchant whowill deliver the item. The system can pre-perform all of these stepsprior to presenting the page to the user after the user hits enter inthe unified input field.

FIG. 14A illustrates a method example. The steps in the method examplecan be performed in any order, can be performed in other combinations orpermutations that include additional steps or exclude all or part ofsome of the described steps. The system can present, in a first userinterface, a first input field associated with a first website (1402).The system can analyze the input from the user into the first inputfield to determine whether the user desires to perform a search or tomake a purchase to yield a determination (1404). The determination canindicate that a confidence level that the user desires to make apurchase has passed a threshold.

If the determination indicates that the user desires to make a purchase,and without any other input from the user other than the input and/orperhaps the enter key, the system can automatically transition the userinterface to a second website in which a second user interface has asecond input field (1406). The system can prepopulate the second inputfield associated with the second website with the input (1408). Thesystem can preprocess the second website using the input in the secondinput field such that the user is in a state after the automatictransitioning where a product associated with the input can be processedfor purchase and delivery via a one-click action from the user (1410).The system can, for example, transmit user data from one of the firstweb site and/or a browser via an API to the second website, orautomatically navigate through a shopping cart model of the secondwebsite to yield the state where the product can be processed forpurchase and delivery via the one-click action. The system canautomatically transition the user interface to the second website byreplacing the first website in the uniform resource locator field of abrowser with the second website in the uniform resource locator field ofthe browser. The system can further prepare a third website having athird input field preprocessed using the input, wherein the user canprovide a switching input to indicate that the third website should bepresented rather than the second website. In another example, the firstsite can process a payment for the item and coordinate with the secondsite to provide the necessary information for delivery of the item.

FIG. 14B illustrates an example of processing between a search engineand a merchant via the API from the search engine viewpoint. The methodincludes presenting an input field on a user interface of a generalizedsearch entity, wherein the generalized search entity processes datausing a generalized search engine that indexes and searches bothmerchant sites and non-merchant sites (1412), receiving a query in theinput field (1414) and correlating the query against a product databaseof products for sale from merchants to yield a correlation (1416). Themethod includes determining, based at least in part on the correlation,that the query is associated with one of a search intent and a purchaseintent to yield a determination (1418). When the determination indicatesthe search intent, the method includes presenting a search resultincluding a non-merchant site, receiving a search interaction associatedwith the non-merchant site and transitioning, based on the searchinteraction, to the non-merchant site (1420). When the determinationindicates the purchase intent, the method includes presenting apurchase-related search result including a buy option associated withthe query, such that the purchase-related search result is configuredsuch that when a user interacts with the purchase-related search resultand confirms a purchase via interacting with the buy option, thegeneralized search entity initiates processing of the purchase of anitem (1422). The generalized search entity stores payment information,or a third party payment processing service stores payment information,a browser can store payment data, and one or both of these entitiescommunicates via a communication interface such as an API with merchantsite for exchanging advertising information for products from productdatabases and payment information. Any piece of information ofprocessing can occur on either side of the API between the browser,non-commercial site and/or the merchant site.

In another aspect, the method includes presenting an input field on auser interface of a generalized search entity, wherein the generalizedsearch entity processes data using a generalized search engine thatindexes and searches both merchant sites and non-merchant sites,receiving user input in the input field and determining, via aprocessor, whether the user input corresponds to a product in a productdatabase to yield a determination. When the determination indicates thatthe user input does not correspond to the product in the productdatabase, the method includes presenting a search result including anon-merchant site, receiving a search interaction associated with thenon-merchant site and transitioning to the non-merchant site. When thedetermination indicates that the user input does correspond to theproduct in the product database, the method includes presenting apurchase-related search result, wherein the purchase-related searchresult is configured such that when a user interacts with thepurchase-related search result and confirms a purchase associated withthe purchase-related search result, the generalized search entityinitiates a purchasing process for the product.

From a merchant site standpoint, the method can include providing adatabase of products from a merchant to a generalized search entity andreceiving a payment for a product from the merchant. The product canhave been purchased on-line by a user. In this scenario, the product isfound and purchased by the user on-line by operations performed by thegeneralized search entity in which the operations include presenting aninput field on a user interface, wherein the generalized search entityprocesses data using a generalized search engine that indexes andsearches both merchant sites and non-merchant sites, receiving userinput in the input field, and determining, via a processor, whether theuser input corresponds to a product in the database of products to yielda determination. When the determination indicates that the user inputdoes not correspond to the product in the database of products, themethod includes presenting a search result including a non-merchantsite, receiving a search interaction associated with the non-merchantsite and transitioning to the non-merchant site. When the determinationindicates that the user input does correspond to the product in thedatabase of products, the method includes presenting a purchase-relatedsearch result for the product, wherein the purchase-related searchresult is configured such that when a user interacts with thepurchase-related search result and confirms the payment associated withthe product in the purchase-related search result, the generalizedsearch entity initiates a purchasing process for the product.

One aspect of this approach enables the user to easily make a purchasewithout the need of transitioning to the merchant website, and manuallyentering in payment and address data. The merchant can coordinate withthe search entity the product information and the search entity canmanage the payment process and make a payment to the merchant withinstructions (purchaser name, address, etc.) for delivering the productto the buyer. Thus, this approach involves a new mechanism andinfrastructure for coordinating between the search entity and respectivemerchants purchases of products from product searches initiated at ageneralized search entity input field. This enables easy purchases froma default search field on say www.google.com, www.bing.com, or an inputfield of a browser set to a default generalized search engine.

The generalized search entity can performs operations includingcorrelating the user input against the database of products to yield acorrelation, wherein the correlation is used to infer whether the userhas a search intent or a purchase intent. The generalized search entitycan receive an interaction associated with the purchase-related searchresult to confirm the purchase of the product and process a purchase ofthe product by the generalized search entity using user payment datastored with the generalized search entity or on the user device. Byreceiving an interaction with a buy option associated with thepurchase-related search result and managing a purchase of the productbased on payment information stored at the generalized search entity,the coordination between the merchant and the search entity can enablethe delivery of the product to be handled via the merchant while theuser experience is simplified and can be initiated at a generalizedsearch engine. The merchant can simply receive the payment, address dataor any other data and deliver the product to the user.

FIG. 14C illustrates a similar process to FIG. 14B but from the merchantviewpoint. A method includes establishing, from a merchant site,communication between the merchant site and a generalized search entityvia a communication interface (1424). The generalized search entity inthis case performs the operations describe above. Namely, thegeneralized search entity presents an input field on a user interface ofa generalized search entity, wherein the generalized search entityprocesses data using a generalized search engine that indexes andsearches both merchant sites and non-merchant sites (1426), receives aquery in the input field (1428), correlates the query against a productdatabase of products for sale from merchants to yield a correlation(1430), determines, based at least in part on the correlation, that thequery is associated with one of a search intent and a purchase intent toyield a determination (1432). When the determination indicates thesearch intent, the generalized search entity presents a search resultincluding a non-merchant site, receives a search interaction associatedwith the non-merchant site and transitions, based on the searchinteraction, to the non-merchant site (1434). When the determinationindicates the purchase intent, the generalized search entity presents apurchase-related search result that can include a buy option associatedwith the query, wherein the purchase-related search result is configuredsuch that when a user interacts with the purchase-related search resultand confirms a purchase via interacting with the buy option, thegeneralized search entity initiates processing of the purchase of anitem (1436). The merchant site can then receive, via the communicationinterface, data about the purchase being accomplished and the necessaryinformation to manage the delivery of the product to the buyer (1438).

FIG. 15 illustrates an example scenario 1500 showing communications viaan application programming interface (API) 1502. A one-search server, aweb server, social media site, payment service, or some other computingdevice can provide services accessible via the API 1502. The servicesprovided by the API 1502 can be accessible from a web server servingpages to web browsers or other web clients, an application for mobiledevices, or from a web browser, such as through a JavaScript call to theAPI 1502. In this example, a browser navigates to a first web site 1504,and retrieves the data for the first website, such as HTML, CSS,JavaScript, images, metadata, or other data, from a first website server1506 without relying on the API 1502. Then, when the browser parses thedata for the first website 1504, renders the page, and loads scripts orother executable instructions for the website, one or more portions ofthe data are linked to or reference the API 1502. For example, theattributes or instructions associated with a text field can instruct thebrowser to request search data via the API 1502. The API 1502 handlesthe complexity of how to manage the request so that the browser 1504does not necessarily know or care which server is handling the request,how the data is processed to achieve a result, and so forth. From theperspective of the web browser 1504, data is submitted to the API 1502,and the API provides resulting data or performs a resulting action.Example actions can include providing payment data for processing apayment at the site 1504 or communicating with a payment service at asecond site 1508. In this case, the text field can instruct the browserto submit a request to the API 1502 based on text entered in the textfield. Thus, as the user enters the text “buy iPhone 5S 64 gb,” thebrowser 1504 that has loaded the first website can submit the textstring to the API 1502 character by character, word by word, or at sometime interval (such as 250 milliseconds). Further, as part of the pageloading and rendering process, the browser 1504 can submit user data forthe user or can establish, re-establish, or link to an existing sessionwith the API 1502, so the API 1502 has sufficient context data about theuser to make appropriate decisions. In response to receiving text fromthe web browser 1504, the API 1502 can analyze the data, determine aresponse of one or more actions, web browsing destination, desired itemto purchase, and so forth. Then the API 1502 can cull the list of one ormore actions to an N best list, which can be based on the type of deviceor browser the user is using. For example, on a mobile device withlimited screen space the N best list can be limited to 3 actions ordestinations, while on a desktop or laptop computer with more amplescreen space the N best list can be limited to 10 actions ordestinations. As part of determining the best actions or destinations,the API 1502 can communicate with a second website 1508, which canprovide payment services or any other service or data. If the action isa one-click purchase action with the second website 1508, the API 1502can, on behalf of the user or the browser 1504, negotiate with thesecond website 1508 to navigate to the appropriate location at thesecond website 1508, populate the appropriate data fields automatically,create an account (if necessary) or log in to an account for the user,receive a payment request through the API from the second website when auser clicks on a buy button, respond with payment data, and so forth.The API 1502 can handle all of these tasks automatically in response toan API request, and pass that information back to the browser at thefirst website 1510, which presents these possible destinations oractions to the user. If the user selects the destination or actionassociated with the second website, the browser can then directlycontinue the session with the second website 1508 that the API 1502created or modified. In this way, the API 1502 can coordinate betweenwebsites and automatically enter user data in response to API calls andpre-navigate to various actions or destinations on behalf of the user sothey are ready for the user to select and open. Upon landing on thesecond website, if a buy button is presented and the user clicks on abuy button, the second site can request payment information through thebrowser API and receive payment data via the browser API such as anaccount and address or a token for processing a payment. Note that FIG.15 can also be viewed in coordination with FIG. 18A and the use of twoAPIs 1818, 1812 for managing coordination by a browser 1806 between amerchant site 1816 and a payment service 1810. In other words, FIG. 15and FIG. 18A illustrate, in one aspect, how APIs are used to managepayment data and payment processing between a first site and a secondsite or payment processor.

An example method of applying the use of the API is as follows. A methodincludes presenting an input field on a user interface, wherein theinput field is associated with processing data using a generalizedsearch engine that indexes and searches both merchant websites andnon-merchant websites (or any other site such as a social media site ormessenger application), receiving input from a user in the input fieldto yield user input (which can be other types of input, besides inputfield input, based on the functioning of the respective site), andreceiving an interaction associated with the user input indicating thatthe generalized search engine should process the user input. When theuser input is determined to indicate a search intent, the methodincludes presenting a search result that can include a non-merchantwebsite and receiving a search interaction associated with thenon-merchant website and transitioning the user to the non-merchantwebsite. When the user input is determined to indicate a purchaseintent, the method includes receiving, via an application programinginterface, data associated with an item from a merchant site, the itembeing selected based on the user input, presenting a purchase-relatedsearch result that can include a buy now option associated with theitem, receiving a user interaction associated with the buy now optionand, based on the user interaction, processing a payment for the itemvia stored payment information for the user at the generalized searchengine or browser to yield purchasing data. The method can then includecommunicating the purchasing data via the application programminginterface to the merchant site, whereby the merchant site can managedelivery of the item to the user.

From the merchant side, the process is as follows: A method includesestablishing, from a merchant site, communication between the merchantsite and a generalized search entity (or any site such as a social mediasite or any other application) via a communication interface or anapplication programming interface. The generalized search entityoperates to present an input field on user interface (or otherfunctionality based on the respective site), wherein the input field isassociated with processing data using a generalized search engine thatindexes and searches both merchant sites and non-merchant sites. Thegeneralized search entity receives user input in the input field. Whenthe user input indicates a search intent, the generalized search entitypresents a search result can include a non-merchant site, receives asearch interaction associated with the non-merchant site and transitionsthe user to the non-merchant site. When the user input indicates apurchase intent, the generalized search entity presents apurchase-related search result including a buy option associated withthe user input, the search result including an item offered from themerchant site. The generalized search entity receives a purchaseinteraction associated with the buy option. The merchant side of theprocess is as follows. When the user input indicates the purchaseintent, the method includes, receiving, via the communication interfaceand at the merchant site, payment information from the generalizedsearch entity or from a browser, the payment information associated withthe purchase interaction for the item and processing deliver of the itemvia the merchant site. In this manner, the merchant site or applicationcan communicate and receive communications via the applicationprogramming interface or communication interface to achieve thepresentation and a sale of one of its items.

It is also noted that while FIG. 15 illustrates websites communicatingvia an API, that the API could also enable communication between twoapplications on a device, or could cause communication between a websiteand an application on a device. The API can also be between a browserand a site. The API is meant to be the means of two different entities,each of which have different purposes or means of interfacing withusers, such that coordination between the two entities can befacilitated.

Social Networking Applications Twitter

Another aspect of this example is how the concepts apply to socialnetworking applications such as Twitter, mentioned above. Twitter is asocial networking application or service in which users can send andread short messages, usually equal to or less than 140 characters.Registered users can post “tweets” which are transmitted through thenetwork to followers. Users can post images and videos as well.Unregistered users can read tweets. Users access the service through awebsite, a mobile device application or through some other application.An example of the concepts disclosed herein applying to a social networklike Twitter are as follows. A method can include presenting an inputfield on a user interface of a social networking site, wherein the inputfield is associated with processing data for social networking withinthe social networking site. The social networking site, in the case ofTwitter, can transmit short 140 character or less text-based messagesfrom senders to followers. Images or videos can also be transmittedthrough this site with metadata pointing to or referencing a product. Inthe case of an image or video, metadata can be associated with the imageor video that references the product database or catalog and triggersthe processing and presentation of a buy option. This would apply to aTwitter account, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and so forth. Thegeneral approach in these examples is described below in FIG. 30 and itsassociated discussion.

Usually, users input data into an input field and the data (text,pictures, and/or video, etc.) is transmitted to followers of that user.The method can include presenting an input field or mechanism through asocial networking site and receiving text-based user input in the inputfield and determining whether the text-based user input is associatedwith a product database or catalog of products for sale from a merchantusing the text-based user input to yield a first determination. This canbe done through a link or analysis of the user input. In this regard,for example, a twitter user can input text into a tweet and the systemwill analyze that text to determine whether the input references aproduct database or catalog and thus can be associated with a sale,advertisement, purchase or other intent. If the user input does notreference a product database, then the system can determine that theuser input is not sale related but merely to be transmitted through thesocial networking system. In other words, the user may just be providinga normal tweet to the system which is distributed or transmitted in thenormal fashion through the social networking site according to a firstintent (a normal tweet intent to share information with followers). Inone aspect, the merchant shares a product catalog with the social mediaentity which can enable products within postings to be purchased withoutleaving the social media entity context—or without transitioning to amerchant site for a browsing and/or payment process.

However, when the determination indicates that the user has referenced aparticular product database, and thus the sale-related intent, themethod includes transmitting the text-based user input through thesocial networking site with a buy option associated with the text-baseduser input. In this case, for example, the text input can provide a linkto the product database or a service that indicates an intent to send anadvertisement, or to buy a product, or to sell a product. If the intentis a sale or purchase-related intent, then in additional to justtransmitting the tweet through the social network, the system cancoordinate and present a buy button associated with the text input. Muchlike the Google example disclosed herein, the social networking site ora service associated with the social networking site can store userpayment processing information thus only requiring a user to input suchinformation once. Thus, a recipient of the tweet will not only see atleast some text of the tweet but will see a buy button and the systemcan receive a purchase interaction associated with the buy option. Thesystem would then process the purchase of in item associated with thetweet. Through an API, as is noted herein, the purchase can be processed(by the social networking site) and delivery can be managed by themerchant as coordinated through the API. This process will increaseconversion of sales through social networking. In each case where“text-based input” is mentioned herein, an alternate approach can be toreceive an image or a video with metadata which provides the informationnecessary to access the product database and the processing continues ina similar manner. Of course similar approaches can be used through anysocial networking site like Facebook and others.

Another aspect is handling buy options through a social networking sitefrom the standpoint of the merchant who is selling products. In thisaspect, a method can include establishing, from a merchant,communication between the merchant and a social networking site thatprocesses and transmits short messages of 140 characters or less withinthe social networking site. An API can be established through which suchcommunication can occur. The social networking site presents an inputfield on a user interface, receives textual user input in the inputfield, and determines whether the textual user input is associated witha product database of products for sale from the merchant using thetext-based user input to yield a determination. For example, a URL canbe placed within a tweet that access a database of products and themerchant can have products offered through that database.

When the determination indicates that there is no reference in thetextual user input to the product database, the social networking sitetransmits the textual user input through the social networking site inthe normal fashion, such as sending the tweet or posting the Facebookpost. When the determination indicates that the textual user inputreferences the product database of products for sale, and thusindicating a sale-related intent, the site transmits the textual userinput through the social networking site with a buy option for an itemassociated with the textual user input. Thus, those reading or receivinga tweet or a posting will see a buy option associated with that item.Recipients can have their payment information stored through the socialnetworking site or another service like Apple Pay or Paypal such thatproducts from all different merchants that are offered through thisservice can be purchased without needing to be transferred to thatmerchant for inputting payment information, etc. The merchant thenreceives an indication that a purchase interaction associated with thebuy option was received (i.e., a recipient clicked on the buy button)and processes a delivery of the item to a person who provided thepurchase interaction or processing the delivery based on the purchaseinteraction. The social networking site can then make a payment to themerchant for the item. The social networking site, or its agent, mayalso charge a small fee for processing the sale. Determining whether thetextual user input is associated with the product database of productsfor sale from the merchant using the textual user input can includecommunicating or correlating between the social networking site and theproduct database via an application programming interface. Processingdelivery of the item can include receiving information from the socialnetworking site that payment for the item is complete and receivinginformation that the merchant selling the item through an applicationprogramming interface is to ship the item to the person.

A Twitter example relates to the processing from the merchantstandpoint. In this case, the merchant posts a short message of 140characters or less within an input field on a user interface of a socialnetworking site. The social networking site receives text-based userinput in the input field and determines whether the text-based userinput is associated with a product database of products for sale from amerchant using the text-based user input to yield a determination. Whenthe determination indicates that there is no reference to the productdatabase, the social networking site transmits the text-based user inputthrough the social networking site. When the determination indicatesthat the text-based user input references the product database ofproducts for sale, and thus indicating a sale-related intent, the socialnetworking site transmits the text-based user input through the socialnetworking site with a buy option associated with the text-based userinput, receives a purchase interaction associated with the buy option,and processes a purchase of an item based on the purchase interaction.The merchant then receives, at the posting entity, purchase dataindicating that the item has been purchased. Thus, the merchant, throughan API, will receive notice that a recipient has made a purchase of theitem, and that the merchant should ship the item.

In another aspect, the method can include presenting an input field on auser interface of a social networking site, wherein the input field isassociated with processing and transmitting short messages of 140characters or less within the social networking site, receiving userinput including at least user text in the input field, and determiningwhether text based on the user input correlates to a product in adatabase of products for sale by a merchant to yield a correlation. Whenthere is not a product that correlates to the text, the method includestransmitting the user input through the social networking site. Whenthere is a product that correlates to the text, and thus indicating asale-related intent, the method includes transmitting the user inputthrough the social networking site with a buy option associated with theuser input, receiving a purchase interaction associated with the buyoption and processing a purchase of an item based on the purchaseinteraction.

In another aspect, clicking on a shop button on the social media sitecan transition the user to a merchant site associated with the product.The transition can access data from the browser to transition to themerchant site in a one-click purchasing state such that the user can buythe product from the merchant site. The browser API can be used torequest and receive payment data from the user.

Using Social Networking Dialogs as Part of a Payment Process

The following discussion combines together several features disclosedherein. The concept of social networking buy buttons is combined withthe dialog features referenced in FIGS. 3 and 4 in which the user cantransition to a dialog to narrow down and select more features. A buyoption can be incorporated in the dialog element. The followingdiscussion also includes the concepts of transitioning to a dialog froma remote site into a social networking site having a dialog applicationthat enables users to communicate and wherein the payment process anddata for a product viewed on the remote site are transitioned into thedialog such that a purchase can be completed via the dialog.

As noted above, the claims in this present application focus on a dialogcomponent to a payment transaction. The present disclosure addresses anissue of enabling users to learn more information about the product andask more questions about the product before completing a purchase. Insome cases, a one-click purchase option or buy option may be for aproduct that requires some additional data such as a size or color orother parameter. The user may have other concerns about delivery, badpublicity, bad reviews, and so forth. In this scenario, the object canbe presented at some stage along the process of purchasing a productthat can transition a user to a dialog application or interaction. Fromthe dialog, the user can complete the information and commit to thepurchase. The transition can be from within a single site (such asFacebook from an advertisement in a news feed to a messengerapplication) or it could span a number of sites. For example,transitioning to a Facebook Messenger application (or any dialogapplication) could help in completing any purchase if the user hasquestions or needs to make other choices about the product. Thus, thetransition at any site at any stage of the process to a dialogapplication can occur to help provide further data. The dialogapplication could be presented in a webview interface which can be areduced version of a browser. One example method can include presentingthe advertisement with a payment process initiation object. The paymentprocess initiating object can include a link or transition to a dialogapplication in which the user engages in a dialog about the product/itemof discussion and completes the purchase. The transition and discussionis configured such that an easy payment can occur once the questions areanswered or information gathered. The transition can be sliding down alisting of items in a drop-down menu and selecting a feature and makingthe purchase via the item in the drop-down menu that is configured tocomplete the purchasing transaction.

In this regard, an example method includes receiving a posting of anitem through a social networking site, wherein the social networkingsite receives and transmits posted items from a posting entity toreceiving entities. When the posting is not associated with a productfor purchase in a product database, the method includes transmitting theposting through the social networking site without an option to buy orsome other interactive call to action option. Optionally, when thedetermination indicates that the posting references the product in theproduct database, and thus indicating a sale-related intent, the methodincludes transmitting the posting through the social networking sitewith a payment process initiation object associated with the product,wherein the payment process initiation object includes one of thebutton, a drop-down menu, or a hyperlink, and receiving an interactionassociated with the payment process initiation object, the interactionbeing performed by a user. A posting entity can also directly post aproduct-based or advertisement based posting with a buy button at asocial media site such, for example, as a newsfeed of a user. Based onthe purchase interaction, the method includes engaging in a dialog withthe user regarding the product as part of a payment process such that ata conclusion of the dialog, the user can complete a purchase of theproduct. The dialog can be presented via a browser like a webviewbrowser such that a browser API can be utilized to communicate betweenthe merchant and the browser for enabling the merchant to receivepayment data. Thus, from any interactive state on a social networkingsite, from a newsfeed or from an advertisement or otherwise, the usercan be transitioned to a browser interface, like a messenger webviewconfigured with a browser/user interface payment request API capability,and interact with a merchant site through the browser, and when a timecomes for a payment, the merchant can communicate with the browserinterface via the browser API to request payment data and receivepayment data for processing a payment for an item.

The method can include, as part of the dialog, receiving a purchasinginteraction from the user and processing the purchase of the productbased on the purchase interaction, wherein processing the purchaseoccurs within one of the social networking site, via a payment agent orvia an application programming interface between the social networkingsite or the browser and a merchant site selling the product. The socialnetworking site or the browser can store payment data for the user toprocess the purchase. When the purchase occurs via the applicationprogramming interface between the social networking site or the browserand the merchant site, the social networking site or the browser cantransmit payment data through the application programming interface suchthat the merchant site can process the purchase of the product.

The dialog can enable the user to select a parameter associated with theproduct. Example parameters include one or more of a color, a size, ashape, a configuration, and a technical characteristic. Deliveryoptions, resolving any other concerns, gifting issues, discounts,coupons, and so forth can be managed within the dialog. The paymentprocess initiation object can simply include a buy button or a notice“talk about and buy this item by clicking here”. The dialog can bemanaged as between the user and the merchant via a dialog application.Engaging in the dialog can be achieved in one aspect by transitioning toa dialog application for managing the dialog and the purchase of theproduct.

If the state at site.com (or app) includes a buy button, such a buybutton could be, as disclosed herein, presented in connection with abrowser API or other API that processes the payment through the browser,agent, or other manner such as passing the payment information from thebrowser to the site for final payment processing.

One example of transitioning from any site or application to a dialogapplication configured to enable payment from the user to a merchantfollows. Assume a user is on a site or application such as site.com.Typically the site will be in a state close to a user being able to makea purchase of a product or service, or provide some kind of payment. Atthis stage in the progression towards a purchase or a payment, the sitecan interact via an API to obtain information about the user and theuser's ability to make a payment through a dialog application such asthe Facebook Messenger or an SMS application, email application, or anyother application in which a user can interact to get more informationabout a product or service or ask questions. The site can interact bymaking requests and receiving data necessary to make a transfer. Forexample, the site may make a data request asking if the user has aFacebook account and whether they are configured to make paymentsthrough Facebook or if they have data stored on Facebook on inconnection with a browser to enable the purchase. Other data might be anaccount with PayPal, Apple Pay, or Android Pay or any other type of datathat is needed. The information can then be used to achieve a payment ofthe product.

If through the API or otherwise a confirmation is provided that apayment could be made through a dialog application, the site couldpresent at any stage along the path towards a purchase an object on theuser interface. The object could be “chat and pay” or “dialog/askquestions” or “go to Facebook Messenger about this product”. Typically,the object will be configured such that a user interaction with theobject will cause a transition to a dialog application that can beseparate from the site.com. For example, the transition can be toFacebook Messenger for a discussion. One issue at this stage is whethersite.com knows who the user is. At this stage is it assumed that eitherthe site knows who the user is or can access via the API or otherwisethe user name such that transition can communicate the necessary data tologin to the user's dialog application and/or Facebook. The userinformation can come from a site like google.com or a search engine, ora browser, or other service. Thus, all the necessary information,passwords, encryption, security, names, etc. are exchanged such that inresponse to the interaction with object on the site, a dialog ispresented to the user configured such that the user can start messagingwith the site about the product. Items such as an image, price, size,amount, or other data are provided. If the user had on the site chosenthe product and entered such data as a discount or coupon and so forth,one or more of those parameters can be passed to the dialog application.Thus, the view in the dialog application can include one or more of apicture of the product/service, the price, shipping charges (which canbe confirmed by the user's location for delivery or address data),discounts, delivery address, shipping instructions, and so forth. Theuser can then ask for more details such as what size or color theywanted. They can ask questions of the merchant. The site can provide thenecessary transition such that an employee or robot or dialogapplication can interact with the user. The user may ask any kind ofnatural language question through the dialog application, such as “whatis the rating, does it come in large, or can I get it in red.”

To facilitate the dialog, if the system has a natural languageinterface, dialog models such as speech recognition models, spokenlanguage understanding models, pronunciation models, speech generationmodels, and so forth, that can be tailored to the product and the likelydiscussion around the product. Dictionaries that store all thecharacteristics of the product (color, size, technical features, etc.)can be loaded to improve recognition, understanding and speechgeneration. Social information can be provided such as details aboutfriends through Facebook who have purchased the product or similarproducts. The dialog could include “Your friend John bought this twoweeks ago and gave it a 4/5 rating.” Whether the dialog is with a liveperson or an automated system, such information can be used. Forexample, the purchase management system disclosed herein that tracks andmanagers purchases of users across multiple channels can communicate itsdata through an API or through some other means to a dialog managementsystem such that the purchase history and/or experiences of friendswithin your social network. That information can be made available tothe dialog application for answering questions and interacting with theuser. If the dialog application is speech based, then one or more ofspeech recognition models, spoken language understanding models, speechgeneration models and so forth can be updated dynamically or in advancewith such data to improve the dialog experience. For example, certainphonemes, words, phrases, names, products names, and so forth can beloaded into these speech processing models to focus the dialogapplication for that particular user. An animated character could alsobe generated to engage with the buyer and receive questions and provideanswers. The character can be chosen based at least in part oncharacteristics such as friends, family, favorite actors, and so forth.The social networking data obtained about the buyer can be used toselect voices, gender, political leanings, race, and so forth of theanimated entity that will engage the user in a dialog about the product.Pre-synthesized speech units can be gathered about the product andfriends that have purchased the product. Personal information can beincorporated into the dialog as well. For example, the entity can say“Have a great birthday tomorrow Jane, how can I help you with thepurchase of this chair, do you want it in black?” Thus, as a user clickson a purchase process initiation object that transitions them to adialog, the dialog management system can obtain text and data fromvarious locations such as the merchant for data about the product,product review data, friends/family data associated with the product,social media data about the user, and so forth to generate a domainspecific experience in the dialog around that particulate product. Theaspects presented can therefore make the user feel more comfortable andin a friendly environment. Accents, personalities, jokes, visualcharacteristics, dialog responses, timings, and so forth can be tailoredfor the particular user such that even if they only want to choose redas the color of the chair, they can have a more socially pleasingexperience when communicating with that merchant.

As noted above, the transitioning object can be presented, for example,as part of an ad which is the result of a search on a search engine.Thus, while “buy buttons” are disclosed herein as part of thatadvertisement, a buy button can be accompanied by a “messenger” or“dialog” or some other label on a transition button that takes the userto a dialog with the merchant about the product. Of course, theadvertisement can just include the transition button only. When thesystem is transitioning the user to the payable dialog system, a workerfor a merchant or the site can receive a notice that a dialog is tobegin. That person can be presented with the product. The data providedto a live person can be organized such that the most relevant data canhelp them in the dialog to quickly answer questions and lead to a sale.If a friend bought the product that information is provided. If thepotential buyer just traveled to Italy (known through their Facebookposts) and the product might be relevant if they went back to Italy,that information can be provided to the worker. Thus, an analysis can bemade of the user's social media activity on one or more social mediasites, their friends and contacts data, and/or any other data availablethat might be relevant to that product and aggregated and presented tothe worker for use in the dialog with the present buyer. Since theworker can only have so much information presented at once, theinformation can be dynamically changing such that as the buyer interactswith the dialog system, the information can change and be modified. Forexample, the buyer may literally ask—“have any of my friends boughtthis?” and the system can automatically process that data and present tothe worker or automatically information answering that question. Thiskind of information will become more available as users make purchasesthrough social media sites. An API could also be provided with thatinformation. For example, if 5 friends of the buyer purchase thatproduct through a Google search, or directly from site.com, and soforth, that information can be shared much like Facebook friends data isshared. Assuming the proper permissions are in place, where friendsallow such information to be shared, an API can be used to enable thesite, in response to the question “have any of my friends bought this”to formulate a query of the buyer's Facebook friends to determine whobought that product or a similar product even if it was not on Facebookand directly in that database. The API could respond with “John boughtthis on Amazon.com, Jane bought this at Best Buy in Arlington VA, andFred bought a similar product through Facebook last week.” The times ofthe purchases, who got discounts, who used coupons, who used giftcards(Fred used a giftcard from Jane Smith), can also be provided. Purchasingdata for individuals can be identified and aggregated at an informationdatabase which can then be accessed in the above scenario for providinginformation to a buyer in a dialog mode about a particular product.

Other information can of course be available for the user—such asmerchant ratings, product ratings, customer ratings for the product,return rates, complaints, etc. A summary of that information could beautomatically provided as the system transitions from an advertisementor from the site to the dialog application. This is important because insome cases with one-click purchasing, users want to know these kinds ofratings about merchants and the product before they buy. By jumping intoa dialog application, they can quickly find out more of that informationto resolve any concerns that they may have and within the dialogapplication complete the purchase.

If the system is automated or part of a spoken dialog system, thatinformation can be aggregated and an updated language model, recognitionmodel, spoken language understanding model, and so forth can be compiledand generated for the dialog. Thus, friend names, product names,locations, product characteristics, and so forth can all be combinedsuch that a very tailored speech processing system can be provided suchthat the interaction with the spoken dialog system is as clean andnormal as possible.

As questions are asked and answered or further parameters are provided,the interaction in the dialog will reach a point where it is appropriateto present a purchase object. The user/buyer may write or say “I'm readyto buy” and the response from the site through the dialog messenger theuser can see an object such as “buy now.”

The user at this point can interact with the buy now button and throughthe dialog application a payment can be caused to be made as disclosedherein. Through the API, the dialog application, knowing all of thepayment information about the product, can use that data to manage thepayment process. The dialog application can locally process the payment,communicate payment information data to the site, or use another paymentservice. The site could provide a cryptocurrency option to pay as well.Coupons, discounts, and so forth can be presented. The site can alsoutilize the browser/user interface payment request API to request thepayment data and receive the necessary information via the browser APIto process the payment. If there is a coupon available for the site,information about the coupon can be transmitted as part of the APIcommunications such that an interface managed by a browser can presentan option for a coupon code or to insert or provide coupon data. Thus,the browser API interface can receive the coupon information andtransmit that information back to the site for application to the sale.Parameters or coding can be implemented as part of the API to turn on oroff the ability to receive and apply coupons to a particular sale. Theuser could also provide the coupon information prior to committing tothe sale or hitting a “buy” button, such that pricing can incorporate acoupon reduction prior to the user interaction with a buy button orcommitting to a buy in a dialog. If the dialog is managed through awebview or other browser separate from a primary browser on a device,then the browser presenting the dialog could communicate with theprimary browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, etc.) toretrieve the payment data. The triggering point for requesting thepayment data can be a button click, an oral instruction “I want to buythis now”, a gesture, or any other indicator of purchasing intent.

After the payment, the user at this stage, while in the dialogapplication, may want to return to the site or continue to stay in thesocial media application. Further objects can be presented in the dialogapplication to return the user back to the site or elsewhere. Forexample, if the user returns to the site, it can be to the site in astate as though the user had just made the purchase. The user can thencontinue monitoring delivery, handling returns, and so forth, as thoughthey had purchased the product on the site. The site manages thedelivery of the product in the normal fashion. In this manner, thisprocess can cause a transition from any site or application in any stateto a payment enabled dialog application that is part of a social networkor otherwise. One beneficial result of this approach is that the dialogapplication can enable a personal interaction between the merchant andthe buyer that directly is part of a product purchase. Thus, thisapproach can expand the access to the payment enabled dialog applicationto outside the dialog application or a social networking site it isassociated with. The ability to resolve any concerns that the buyer mayhave quickly and easily will increase conversions and provide forhappier customers.

Further, in some cases, the merchants or site.com does not want to losecontrol over their interaction with their customers. So transitioningfrom their site may not be that desirable. However, this transition to adialog application such as a Facebook Messenger converts the interactioninto a social media one between the user, logged into their FacebookAccount or Messenger account, and the merchant, logged into their socialmedia account. Thus, the transition really still maintains a directconnection between the buyer and the merchant but just through theirsocial media application. Therefore, the merchant does not lose controlof the interaction but can improve the direct personal connection withthe buyer through social media, which is a highly desirable result.

Indeed, to further enhance the experience, other merchant branding couldbe incorporated into the experience, such as a media branded backgroundto the dialog application. The opportunity to have a personal upliftingexchange with a buyer is very important. Usually in a dialogapplication, the user types in questions and responses are provided fromthe merchant. There is no general branding for the merchant exceptperhaps a picture of the product that is being discussed. The dialogapplication could provide an opportunity for a branding package to beavailable to the merchant. Thus, while in the dialog between the userand the merchant, a background image of a waterfall could be provided,videos could be provided, or music could play that sets a certain tone.Colors, borders, headers, objects, fonts, font sizes, synthetic voices,and so forth, could be tailor for that merchant. Usually the dialogapplication is small in that it only needs to provide real estate for adialog with the merchant. However, in this context, where a brandingeffort is desired in addition to merely receiving a question andanswering the question, the dialog application could be expanded in size(if on a desktop or laptop computer or any device with a larger screen)and revised to provide a much richer experience for the user wheninteracting directly with the merchant. This is important because it candeepen the relationship with the merchant much more than a mere quickdialog and payment.

As one example of how this could function, assume a buyer clicks on atransition object on an advertisement. This could be termed aninformation gathering and purchase interaction object or a purchasinginteraction object because it initiates an information gatheringinteraction that leads to a purchase. Thus, while it does not provide animmediate confirmation of a purchase, it is initiates a dialog orinteraction that provides one of gathering information from the userand/or providing additional information to the user. The user istransitioned to a messenger application that is expanded to include alarger window with an image of the merchant's storefront. The user maysay/write “I want something similar to this widget but in a differentsize and color”. The system could present within the larger window oreven the same sized window the alternate similar widgets in differentsizes and colors. The user could scroll through those and select thedesired one for purchase. A screen could be presented where the usercould move through a virtual space in the store which could beconfigured to place the alternate items on a shelf in the store that theuser could browse as though they were literally there.

In another aspect, the transition to the dialog application could alsorelate to any other product such as streaming audio or video. Forexample, a user could be on Netflix.com and want to get more informationabout a movie, the user could click on a transition object and be takento the dialog application and speak with a merchant about the movie. Thedialog application could be configured to confirm a purchase (utilizingthe browser API) and/or a download of the media. Thus, the dialogapplication could not only be used for product purchases but otherdigital media distribution. The media could be downloaded to a currentdevice (upon which the dialog is occurring) or to some other device oraccount for watching later. Thus, another element of this process oftransitioning from a site to a dialog application can provide otherresults besides buying something. Appointments for doctors, dentists orother professionals could be made after a dialog about their service,media distribution and/or purchase, buying tickets for sporting events,canceling orders, managing orders, customer complaints, and so forth. Inmany of these instances, a dialog with the other party would be veryhelpful to accomplishing some result. The process here can enable atransition to a dialog application configured to enable a productivedialog about the issue, and present the ability to “one-click” theresult. Thus, in addition to purchasing a product, the user may dialogwith a law firm about an issue and confirm an appointment to see anattorney, or confirm or change a dental appointment time. Thus,transition objects can be presented on calendars, media distributionsystems or sites, in Outlook, in emails or text messages, or any otherlocation where there is a reason for the user to engage in a dialog withanother party. For example, a user might see on their calendar for nextTuesday an appointment with the dentist. If such an appointment is knownto be with a business, a transition object can be presented on yourcalendar. Clicking on that object transitions the user to a dialogapplication with the dentist. The user can then type or say “can we movethis to Thursday at 3 PM?”. If the response from the dentist is yes,then the resulting action (rather than a purchase), can be a calendarupdate. The dialog application can be integrated through an API oranother mechanism with calendar applications, or other applications tomake such changes.

In this regard, the dialog application could also be used to initiate anemail or a telephone call based on the dialog. Other applications likeMS Word could be launched or documents could be retrieved. Thus, thetransition to the dialog application can come from any originatingsource and any number of productive resulting actions can be taken inaddition to making a purchase. The resulting location that user istransitioned to after using the dialog application can depend on thespecific action taken and where the user is likely to want to end up.

The dialog application does not have to be a social media dialogapplication. For example, if a search engine like Google were to enablemessaging between registered users or messaging between Google andFacebook, any dialog application could implement these ideas.

Now, the decision to place a transition button on an ad or otherinterface could be dynamic. The system could analyze the product andwhere products are more complicated or higher priced, consumer may wantto talk more about them prior to buying. The product may have gottensome bad reviews or bad press. People may have been posting bad thingson social media sites or making bad comments. In such cases, damagecontrol may need to engage in such that for a period of time, transitionobjects are placed on the product notices and interface such thatexplanations can be made. Transition objects may be presented toindividual users who have a history of not purchasing quickly or wantingto move to another site (such as Amazon.com) to study reviews. Thetiming of interactions from a user that typically leads to purchases canplay a role. For example, if the user pauses for a long time prior tomaking a purchase, the system can present during that time a transitionbutton to answer any questions. Perhaps a product is new and theinteractions can help to increase purchases and transition people tocomments in say Amazon.com to provide positive feedback on the purchase.Perhaps there is a short sale period and the transition button is usedto talk with potential buyers about the sale. The button can providefurther information such as “talk about the recent bad reviews and why.”Other parameters such as weather, the holiday season, an upcomingbirthday or anniversary of the potential buyer, purchasing choices offriends of the buyer, and so forth can be analyzed and used as a basisfor whether and/or how to present a transition button to a dialogapplication. The key is to make the presentation of the transitionbutton strategic and tailored for the user or the product such that ifreal questions might exist about the product (is it as bad asopinions.com said?) can be answered and concerns of the buyer can beresolved.

Any feature disclosed herein can be mixed and matched with any otherfeature. As an example, the “tear” feature disclosed herein can be fromone site to the Facebook Messenger that transitions to the messenger.Further, only the messenger may show—with the main site around it. Theoverall user interface then can include a messenger/dialog superimposedon the site view. The superimposed messenger/dialog graphics can bepresented and run by the second site (Facebook or other site), such thatthe purchase or other action taken through the dialog will be managed bythe second site. Or the messenger/dialog graphic can transition the userback to the main site where a final “buy” interaction can take place.The API's can transition to and from the dialog/messenger applicationsuch that the buyer returns to the site in a more advanced state towardsa purchase (or other goal), then they were when they transitioned fromthe site. The browser API can be used in any purchasing scenario and atany stage of a navigation and purchasing process. In other words, whenthey left the site to go to the messenger/dialog, they may not be in astate of a final “buy” object being presented. They may have just pulledup the product. Thus, if the dialog indicates that they are ready tobuy, that data can be communicated back to the site such that a moreadvanced state can be presented when they return, and they can buy atthat point with a one-click, or their payment information can bepresented with other optional information such as delivery location,price, etc. The state could then be in a final confirmation state forpayment. The state could be one or more steps prior to a final state aswell. For example, the dialog could confirm that they want to use visaor bitcoin. The dialog may not confirm such information. The state ofsite.com could accommodate for that when they return. The dialog couldbe used in this context to not only help them make choices such as thecolor blue or size large but to confirm that they want to use theirdebit account or visa. Each piece of information can advance the stateof the site.com if they return for final confirmation of a payment.

Group Payments in a Messenger Application

This disclosure further extends the messenger payment applicationprocess. Facebook Messenger enables payments from one person to another,and now from a person to a business. What is not enabled is the abilityto do group payments or sharing of payments within the messenger. Thisaddresses an internet centric problem because the messenger applicationsthemselves are based on the Internet and the problem is that it iscurrently limited to one person making a payment.

If you are on a group chat and you want to buy a gift, for example, thesystem could identify each party in the group chat and configure anadvertisement or product offering that could be purchased within thechat but the cost would be divided amongst the group. Reservations forthe group could also be made through such an application. Each member ofthe group chat can see the same offering. The “buy now” option presentedcould be paid by the first person clicking on it or a “share paymentequally” option could be presented in which the cost would be sharedequally (or unequally) amongst the members of the group. The systemcould be set up to require each group member to commit to share in thepayment or the payment does not occur. In the group chat, progressinformation could be provided (“Jane, John and Jill have committed,George, Marty, are you in?). The group payment interaction could be“called” in the messenger app via a callout like “group payment chatbot,we want to share in the cost of this hat”. A selectable object ordrop-down menu item could also configure the system to present a paymentoption that could be processed/payed for as a group. The browser APIcould be used for each individual member to exchange messages/requestsand payment information.

Any group function could be accomplished in a similar manner, such asreservations, scheduling events, sending messages, giving charitabledonations, and so forth. The interactions can be configured for thegroup and tailored for the group as well. In most cases, the group willsee the same interactive objects, but different members might seedifferent features.

In one aspect, if a buy button is presented in a messenger application,and it is a group chat with more than 2 people, then the system canmodify the presentation such that an option for a group pay isinitiated. In this scenario, a user might be in a discussion with amerchant and want to add his sister in the conversation. She can jump inand look at the product (maybe it is a gift for their mom) and then whenthe “buy now” option is presented, it can include separate objects foreach user, such as for Jim: “You pay $15, Jane pays $15” and for Jane:“You pay $15, Jim pays “$15”. The users could adjust the amounts too inthe chat so that one person pays more—this could be done through thedialog “Jim, I'm short this month, can you pay $20, and I'll pay $10”.The system can analyze the text and automatically adjust the amounts andthe object to reflect what is agreed upon in the chat.

Alternately, a group of 3 friends can be in a chat and desire to add ina merchant as they are looking for a wedding gift. In the messengerapplication they could call up a chat with Amazon.com or Target.com(let's say the couple is registered with Target). This can be donewithin the application or via a separate interface. Within the app auser may say “hey target.com, please log in” and the system analyzingthe input of the users will connect either to a live representative oftarget or an automated system. The decision point could be that if it isa group chat, then a live user is connected, otherwise, it is automated,at least to start.

Then through the chat they could engage with the merchant that couldpresent various items for sale and answer questions. Upon interactingand agreeing upon an item, a “buy now” object could be presented in thechat and each user could pay their equal portion or an unequal portion,and the payments could be processed as disclosed herein. In this manner,the solution to the problem is to enable payments to be divided amongstindividuals participating in a group chat in which the payment mechanismis enabled to be completed within the chat. A service or browsercommunication and coordination could resolve any ambiguity on whichperson pays which amount.

Users could initiate a merchant chat by listing the merchant just likeany other user in a group chat “to” field. The user could input “janedoe, john roe, target.com” and start the group chat with a target useras well. In this case, merchants could be listed as “friends” in thesocial network such that chats or messages could be exchanged andproducts purchased. The Target user could present on a screeninformation about each person in the group chat, browsing histories, andany other data available to help focus the person on what they (thegroup) might be interested in buying. Information common to the groupcan be presented as well, such as the fact that they all have a friendabout to be married, and that that friend is registered at Target. Thus,the target user can say “hey everyone, is this for Fred's wedding? Hedoes not yet have the silverware set.” The group could then see apicture of the item and pay for it as a group.

As noted above, data about each person in the group can be received andanalyzed to guide the interaction between a merchant and the group ofusers. Decision on what selectable objects to present, how to labelthose objects, what functionality is associated with respective objects,whether to present different interfaces to different users, and so forthcan be based on the analysis.

If John is using one browser (such as Chrome), and Mary is using anotherbrowser (Such as Mozilla), the system can communicate with the differentbrowsers to identify what kinds of accounts the users can pay with andcan exchange requests, responses, data, and any kind of information, toimprove the type of communication found within a group message. APIs cancommunicate data between individual applications or browsers used byindividual people, and merchant websites or sites, other paymentproviders, service entities, and so forth to ultimately allow users toshare in costs of making purchases.

Payment Processes on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube

Similar approaches can be used through any social networking site likeFacebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube, and others. In each case, thedetermining of whether a sale or purchase related intent is associatedwith a posting can involve analyzing the input (often text but it doesnot necessarily require text and can include an image like in Pinterest)for a reference to a product or service that can be purchased byrecipients of the posting through the respective site. The posting canbe presented on a newsfeed, an advertisement or otherwise in any way bepresented on a social networking platform. If the analysis does notyield any reference to such a product or a service, found often in adatabase of products/services, then the respective site simply transmitsor posts the sender data (Tweet, Facebook posting, pictures onInstagram, Pinterest, etc.) through the social networking site withoutany buy now option. The site in that case processes the input in theconventional manner. In other words, the determination that does notnecessarily require a parameter to be set or a specific result stored inmemory. For example, if the tweet does not include a URL pointing to aproduct database, and the system is analyzing the input for such data,the absence of the reference to the product database can in and ofitself be the determination that there will not be a buy now optionpresented through the social networking site for that posting. When theinput includes a reference to a product database, the site can implementunconventional processing in which a buy button is presented torecipients or viewers of whatever results the site presents byprocessing the user input. The site includes additional coding andprocessing to enable the user to either purchase an item while still inthe site or easily transition to a merchant site at a deep-link toenable quick and easy purchase of the product, or to continue shoppingat the merchant site. For example, if a picture of a red hammer ispresented with an associated buy button, the site, when the user clickson the red hammer picture, can be transitioned to a deep link with themerchant site as though the user had searched for a red hammer and wasready to make a purchase. Upon being transitioned to the deep link, theuser in this case can easily simply purchase the hammer or put it into ashopping cart and continue shopping or continue processing the purchaseon the merchant site. The deep-link could also be a transition to adialog application which receives data about the user, merchant,product, social media data, and so forth to provide an efficienttransition to a messenger application that enables questions to be askedand then answered and then a purchase to be made in the messengerapplication.

Use of a deep link configured to a state of a destination site as thoughthe user had searched for the product, logged in, and/or entered inpayment information, whereby the user can complete a purchasing processwithout entering payment information or logging in. This can beaccomplished through accessing data in the transition from the browser,such as payment data, one-click purchasing settings, addressinformation, login information, etc. For example, if one-clickingsettings are accessed and set to “on,” the user can land at thedestination site in a one-click purchasing state. When a site likeamazon.com submits a posting to a recipient on a social networking site,it has information about the recipient's identification. If thatrecipient has registered with amazon.com, and provided their paymentinformation to amazon.com, then when the recipient clicks on a buy nowobject or an object that indicates a desire to make a purchase, therecipient can transition from the social networking site postingassociated with a product to the posting site, such as amazon.com, witha “deep link” in which the user is transitioned to the site in a stateas though the user had searched for the product and the site is in astate where the user can “one click” purchase the product. This ispossible because the transition from the social networking posting tothe site includes enabling the user to be logged in to the site andpresenting the user an interface in which they can purchase the productwith minimal further clicks. The transition process can includeaccessing user data from the browser. The data can be payment data,login data, one-click authorization settings, parameter settings,payment data, address data, and so forth.

In a social networking case such as Instagram or Pinterest where imagesare posted from a posting entity to a group of recipients, the processcan operate as follows. A method includes receiving a posting of animage through a social networking site, wherein the social networkingsite receives and transmits posted images from a posting entity toreceiving entities. A system can analyze the image for associatedtext-based data or metadata. The text data can be metadata or other datathat provides information about the image and can reference a productdatabase, for example an inventory database, associated with an item inthe image. The system determines whether the associated text-based dataidentifies a product within a product database for sale from the postingentity to yield a determination. For example, the system can determinethat there is inventory for the item in the product database. When thedetermination indicates that there is no reference to the product in theproduct database, the system transmits the image input through thesocial networking site without a buy now button. In this manner, theposting of the image would proceed through the social networking site inthe normal, conventional fashion. When the determination indicates thatthe image references the product in the product database, and thusindicating a purchase or sale-related intent, the system transmits theimage through the social networking site with a buy option associatedwith the image. When the system receives a purchase interactionassociated with the buy option, the system processing a purchase of anitem based on the purchase interaction. This involves implementingadditional code to provide an unconventional series of steps for asocial networking site.

Determining whether the image is associated with the product in theproduct database from the posting entity can include communicatingbetween the social networking site and the product database via anapplication programming interface. The social networking site canprocess the payment and communicate the sale to the posting entity suchas a merchant. The merchant can then deliver the item. As notedelsewhere herein, the system can also transition the user from a statein the process of moving towards a purchase to a dialog application thatis configured to enable a dialog between the user and a merchant andthen process a payment in the dialog application. APIs are used tocommunicate data between an originating site, the messenger application,a merchant site, a user, a payment agent, and so forth, to enable a“one-click” purchase (as part of the dialog or in the dialogapplication) after engaging in a dialog via the messenger application.

Processing delivery of the item can include managing a payment for theitem and informing the posting entity selling the item through anapplication programming interface to ship the item. A user or merchantcan have a pre-existing account storing preferences governing how theimage and the buy option are presented. The buy option can include aone-click purchasing option, which, because the social networking sitestores the purchase data of the recipient who is making the purchase,can occur without the need of moving or transitioning from the socialnetworking site to a merchant site to complete the sale.

One example also covers the above process for an image sharing site fromthe standpoint of the merchant, who can post images on the socialnetworking site that operates as described above. In this case, themerchant posts the images with the text data that points to or accessesa product database such that upon confirmation of a product in theproduct database for sale, the social networking site presents the imagewith the buy button and upon confirming a purchase, informs the merchantof the purchase so that the merchant can process delivery.

With respect to processing from the merchant side for a buy option in asocial networking site, the method can include posting, by a postingentity such as the merchant, of an image, text or a video through asocial networking site in which users share images, text or videos. Thesocial networking site is typically structured to receive and transmitposted images, text or videos from the posting entity to receivingentities. The social networking site determines, using text data ormetadata associated with the image or the video, whether there is aproduct within a product database for sale from the posting entity toyield a determination. The social networking site can determine whetherthe image or the video is associated with the product in the productdatabase from the posting entity via an application programminginterface between the social networking site and the product database.

When the determination indicates that there is no reference to theproduct in the product database, the site transmits the image or thevideo through the social networking site to the receiving entitieswithout an option to buy a product but performs in the conventionalmanner. When the determination indicates that the image or the videoreferences the product in the product database, and thus indicating asale-related intent, the site transmits the image or the video throughthe social networking site with a buy option and receives data that auser of the social networking site interacted the buy option to yield apurchase interaction. The merchant (posting entity) then processes adelivery of an item based on the purchase interaction. The socialnetworking site can process a payment for the item through its ownmechanism or can use a service like Apple Pay and the like. The postingentity can receive from the social networking site payment data afterthe social networking site processes the payment for the item. When theuser of the social networking site interacts with the purchaseinteraction, the merchant can receive a transition of the user of thesocial networking site from the social networking site at a deep link ona site of the posting entity. This is an optional approach in which thepayment processing can occur outside of the social media site and by themerchant. The social networking site can transition the user to a deeplink within the site of the posting entity in a state in the site of theposting entity in which the user of the social networking site canpurchase the item. In this case, the posting entity can receive apayment of the item from the user of the social networking site.

For example, from the merchant standpoint, the method can includeposting, from a posting entity such as the merchant, an image, text or avideo on a social networking site. The social networking site canreceive and transmit posted items from a posting entity to receivingentities, wherein the posted items can include at least one of text,images, and videos. The social networking site analyzes the image, textor the video for associated text-based data or metadata and determineswhether the associated text-based data or metadata identifies a productwithin a product database for sale from the posting entity to yield adetermination. When the determination indicates that there is noreference to the product in the product database, the social networkingsite transmits the image, text or the video through the socialnetworking site without an option to buy, in other words in theconventional fashion. When the determination indicates that the image,text or the video references the product in the product database, andthus indicating a sale-related intent, the social networking sitetransmits the image, text or the video through the social networkingsite with a buy option associated with the image or the video andreceives a purchase interaction from a buyer associated with the buyoption. The buy option can also include an object which, when interactedwith, causes a transition to a dialog application which is configured toengage in a dialog about the product and then process a payment withinthe dialog application for the product, thus making it easier and moresimple to revolve concerns of the buyer and process the payment. Theposting entity can also just post a product based posting onto thesocial media site with a buy button.

Once the social networking site receives the interaction to purchase theproduce, there is a necessity of completing the sale of the product.From the merchant standpoint, the merchant then receives a transition ofthe buyer from the social networking site to a deep link in the siteoperated by the posting entity. The merchant processes the purchase anddelivery of the item from the posting entity. In one aspect, themerchant presents to the user after the transition a deep link withinthe site of the posting entity in a state in the site of the postingentity in which the user of the social networking site can purchase theitem. The item presented in the image, text or video posted on thesocial networking site can be the same item purchased. A browser API canbe used between the merchant and the browser to manage payment data oncethe user lands on the merchant site. The merchant site may already havethe payment and address information stored and the transition might onlyrequire a one-click parameter to be set in the browser. In one aspect,the determining of whether the associated text-based data identifies theproduct within a product database for sale from the posting entity toyield a determination is performed via an application programminginterface between the social networking site and the product database.

In another aspect, the method includes receiving a posting of an imageor a video through a social networking site including Facebook,identifying data associated with the image or the video and determiningwhether the data identifies a product within a database of products forsale from the posting entity to yield a determination. When thedetermination indicates that there is no reference to the product in theproduct database, the method includes transmitting the image or thevideo through the social networking site without a buy now button. Whenthe determination indicates that the image or the video references theproduct in the database of products, and thus indicating a sale-relatedintent, the method includes transmitting the image or the video throughthe social networking site with a buy option associated with the imageor the video to buy the product, receiving a purchase interactionassociated with the buy option and processing a purchase of the productbased on the purchase interaction, wherein processing the purchaseoccurs within Facebook.

Facebook, Twitter and any other social networking site can process userinput including text plus optional other input such as a video, an imageor other user input in connection with a posting. The combination ofuser input can depend on the structure of a particular non-commercesite. For example, Twitter's user input differs from Facebook's userinput. Both involve posts that can include text alone or text plus otheruser input. The respective social networking site will process userinput according to its functioning. An image plus some description ormetadata describing a location or a product in a product database can beinput. The user input in this case can include any combination of userinput according to a non-commerce site that includes a reference to aproduct in a product database that indicates that the posting on socialmedia should include a buy button when the post is processed through thesocial networking site. The posting can be prepared and posted by anindividual user or an automated system depending on the processing ofthe non-commercial site.

In another aspect, posting entities such as merchants can provideproduct database feeds to a social media entity such that when theysubmit postings to the social media entity, data about products featuredin the postings can be provided such that the initiation of thepurchasing process can occur while the user remains within the socialmedia entity. For example, if a shirt company posts on Instagram aposting featuring a T-shirt for sale, and a product database feed isprovided to Instagram which includes the T-shirt, then the user couldclick on the posting or the T-shirt and purchase that T-shirt all whileremaining within the Instagram site or app. The merchant would then benotified of the purchase and can ship the T-shirt to the buyer. Thisapproach greatly reduces friction in the purchasing process on a socialmedia entity. FIGS. 29-31 further discuss this process.

Modified Browser Interface Based on Tabs

A system, method and computer-readable storage devices are disclosedwhich prepopulate tabs based on intent determined by a classifier thatprocesses input provided to the unified input field. In a typical websearch, a user clicks to select a search field, enters text, waits forthe results page to load, clicks a desired link in the results page, andfinally arrives at the desired link after waiting for it to load. Thisprocess requires many steps. A unified input field that prepopulatestabs in the browser can simplify this process.

For example, one-search.com can provide a unified input field. The userprovides input via the unified input field, such as a search for “iPhone5S.” The system can identify, based on a user profile and on the enteredtext, the n most likely desired pages, such as from a listing of searchresults if the user were to execute a search using the text entered tothat point. The system can then instruct the user's browser to createand populate new tabs in the browser with the n most likely desiredpages. The value for n may vary based on user preferences, already opentabs, how many pages exceed a confidence threshold, available memory,network bandwidth, which pages are ready to be loaded, diversity withinthe pages to be populated in the tabs, and so forth. In one variation,the system can automatically create and populate three new tabs in thebrowser, each with a different likely desired result in response to theinput provided via the unified input field. One tab can be an Amazonone-click purchase page, one tab can be the final page of a populatedshopping cart at Apple.com, and one tab can be the final page of aservice contract for purchasing the iPhone 5S with a 2 year servicecontract through AT&T. In this way, the user can automatically select,browse, and compare the tabs to determine which one he or she desires.At this stage, however, the input data does not necessarily providesufficient information to lead to a specific purchase. Thus, the systemcan select pages like an Apple information page about the iPhone 5S, aWikipedia page about the iPhone 5S, or a popular video review of theiPhone 5S.

However, if the user enters additional information, such as “iPhone 5S32 GB Silver,” then the classifier can determine, based on the text andin conjunction with a user profile or search history, that the user'sintent is to purchase the indicated iPhone. In this situation, thesystem can load purchase-specific tabs in the browser. For example, thesystem can load tabs directly to an Amazon.com or Apple.com page as ifthe user had already navigated there, selected the iPhone 5S, 32 GB,silver, added the iPhone to the cart, and was at an advanced stage orpotentially the final stage in the check-out process. In the case ofAmazon.com, the system could load a tab that is ready for the user tomake a one-click purchase of the indicated iPhone. Alternatively, thesystem can load a tab that automatically performs the actions ofclicking the one-click purchase button, so that the user can go toone-search.com, enter the text in the unified input field, and hit enterto purchase through Amazon, and the resulting purchase page is loaded ina new tab automatically for the user. In this case, hitting enter afterentering the text in the unified input field could cause a new tab to beloaded with a purchase summary of the just-executed order, potentiallyallowing the user to modify shipping options, product options, billinginformation, or other order details. In another variation, the systemcan place the order automatically based on the user hitting enter in theunified input field, and transition the user to a new tab of a webpagefor purchasing accessories, service related to the item purchased,technical support pages, or some other related web resource.

When the user enters a first partial input string in the unified inputfield, the user may click back and forth between one or more tabs topreview the results. Then the user can go back to the tab with theunified input field, and modify or add to the input string. The systemcan remove the previously generated tabs and populate new ones, or thesystem can keep the tabs that the user has opened, looked at,manipulated, or clicked on, for example, while eliminating the otherpreviously generated tabs. In this way, the user can select which tabsto keep and which tabs the system is free to remove or replace based onthe updated input string.

The system can predictively retrieve and cache potential matching pagesfor inserting into new tabs based on what the user is typing. Forexample, if the user is typing “Apple” in the unified search field, thesystem can retrieve pages of the three most popular Apple products orthe three Apple products in which the user is most likely to beinterested. Then, as the user types “Apple iP”, the system can narrowthe search to products that match the partial string, such as AppleiPods, iPhones, and iPads. Items such as the MacBook Air or the Apple TVwould not be included, as they do not match the partial input string inthe unified input field. The process can continue refining the cachedpages, thereby saving time so the pages are ready to present to the userwhen a certain event occurs or a threshold is met. For example, in onevariation, the system can wait for the user to press enter in theunified input field to populate the new tabs, even though the system ispreparing, retrieving, and caching pages in advance of the user pressingenter. In this way, when the user presses enter in the unified searchfield, the system can very quickly create new tabs and populate the newtabs with the retrieved pages. If any additional pages have not beenpredicted or retrieved, tabs for those pages can load normally, whileothers are ready for the user to view.

In one variation, the system can immediately transition the user fromthe tab displaying the unified input field to a different tab that iscreated in response to input provided via the unified input field. Whilemost browsers allow the user to a mouse to click on the tab, or press akeyboard shortcut such as ctrl-tab, ctrl-shift-tab, ctrl-pgup, orctrl-pgdn to navigate between tabs, the unified input field can allowthe user to press enter or some other key at the end of providing inputvia the unified input field to automatically switch to a newly createdtab populated in response to the input. For example, the system canswitch to a tab of a one-click purchase page on Amazon when the userhits enter in the unified input field. The system could also include thepurchase in the transition action, so that the purchase is completed atAmazon based on the user pressing enter in the unified input field aswell as switching the user to that new tab.

The system can present different options or different destinations basedon user input. For example, the system can present a message orindication that pressing “enter” once would transition the user to afirst new tab, while pressing “enter” twice would automaticallytransition the user to a second new tab, and pressing “enter” thricewould automatically transition the user to a third new tab, and soforth. Multiple different keys and/or key combinations provided via theunified input field can trigger different behaviors for managing ornavigating tabs based on the input provided in the unified input field.Further, the various actions and key combinations triggering thoseactions can change as the user enters additional text in the unifiedinput field, or modifies text in the unified input field.

FIG. 16 illustrates a method example. The steps in the method examplecan be performed in any order, can be performed in other combinations orpermutations that include additional steps or exclude all or part ofsome of the described steps. The system can present in a first userinterface a first input field associated with a first website processedvia a browser (1602).

The system can analyze the input from the user into the first inputfield to determine whether the user desires to perform a search or tomake a purchase to yield a determination (1604). If the determinationindicates that the user desires to make a purchase, and without anyother input from the user other than the input, the system canprepopulate a second input field associated with a second website withthe input (1606). The system can preprocess the second website using theinput in the second input field such that the user is in a state afterthe automatic transitioning where a product associated with the inputcan be processed for purchase and delivery via a one-click action fromthe user (1608). The system can preprocess the second website bytransmitting user data from one of the first website and a browser tothe second website. Payment data can be communicated between the browserand the site to simplify the process for the user. The system canpreprocess the second website by automatically navigating through ashopping cart model of the second website to yield the state where theproduct can be processed for purchase and delivery via the one-clickaction. The processing can include that when the user interacts with theinterface to make a purchase, the entity associated with the input fieldprocesses a payment of an item and coordinates with a separate merchantfor delivery.

The system can present the second website in a tab in the browser(1610). The system can present a visual notification to the userassociated with the tab that clicking on that tab will present to theuser the second website in the state in which the user can process forpurchase and delivery the product via the one-click action. The visualnotification can be a popup, an indication on the first website, abrowser-specific notification associated with the tab, or in some otherlocation in the user interface. The system can present multipleadditional websites in additional tabs in the browser, and can provide amechanism, via the unified input field, to manipulate or navigatethrough those tabs independently of the established keyboard shortcutsand mouse clicks inherent in the browser. For example, the system canpreprocess a third website using the input in a third input field suchthat the user is in a state after the automatic transitioning where aproduct associated with the input can be processed for purchase anddelivery via a one-click action from the user, and presenting the thirdwebsite in a second tab in the browser.

FIG. 17A illustrates an interface 1700 having a tab 1702 with an inputfield 1704 and user input 1708. This input field 1704 is open ended oropen loop in that it does not automatically process the user input as asearch but can process the input to perform a number of differentfunctions. Assume the user inputs “iPhone 5S.” The system analyzes thatinput and determines that there is a high likelihood that the userdesires to make a purchase. The system then preprocesses that input onone or more website, such as Amazon.com and Apple.com, such that each ofthese alternate web sites are positioned in a state which is theequivalent of the user having navigated to that website, and entered“iPhone 5S” and continued to browse and navigate to a state in which onemore click causes a purchase and delivery of the product. Thus, in FIG.17B, the system can present a tab 1710 for Amazon and a tab 1712 forApple. The user can continue to type further text such as “32 GB Silver”1708. The system continues to refine the preprocessing of the alternatewebsites. Thus, after the user is done, if the user clicks on the Amazontab 1710, that tab will reveal a preprocessed search in a “one-click”state such that the next click can enable the user to buy and havedelivered that product. Where websites like Apple don't have a similar“one-click” option, the system can navigate and preprocess a shoppingcart model to essentially cause the tab 1712 to present the shoppingcart, ready in a state where the user just needs one more click to makethe purchase. The browser or one-search.com application can, via an APIcommunicating with the alternate website, provide the purchasing accountdata, delivery address, passwords, etc. necessary to navigate in thebackground through the purchasing pages of a website that does not haveone-click purchasing capability. The API may only need to communicatenecessary data for completing a transaction if one-search.com handlesthe processing of the payment for the item. In this manner, merchantscan easily communicate with one-search.com through the API for delivery.

The positioning of the tabs can be based on history, personalpreferences, likelihood of intent, and so forth. For example, if theuser typically purchases items through Amazon.com, then that tab will bepresented 1710 next to the current tab 1702. The probability of a searchintent over a purchasing intent may be equivalent, and thus a Google orYahoo! Search may be presented in tabs next to a purchasing option. Thetabs may also give hints as to how deep the preprocessing went. Forexample, one tab may say “Amazon search” and another may say “Amazonone-click” indicating to the user, that clicking on the Amazon searchtab means that the “state” of that tab is that the user input has beenpreprocessed such that, as in a normal Amazon search, a list of items isreturned for browsing but that the state is not a “one-click” state inwhich the user could do just one more click to complete a purchase anddelivery. The depth of the preprocessing can also be performed based onhow much disambiguation is needed. If the user does not provide enoughdata, then only search-level states may be provided. If there are onlytwo options such as two colors to choose from on an item, and the userdid not specify a color, the system could present in a tab, twodifferent items, each having a “one-click” purchasing button, such thatthe tab is still in a one-click purchasing state, but two items arepresented on the page such that no further navigation is necessary. Thesystem could present a gold “one-click” option and a silver “one-click”option for purchase.

In a typical web search, a user clicks to select a search field, enterstext, waits for the results page to load, clicks a desired link in theresults page, and finally arrives at the desired link after waiting forit to load. If the user desires to continue and make a purchase, thenthe user must either log in with an existing account or create a newaccount with the website, place the item in a virtual shopping cart,check out, provide shipping information, and so forth. This processrequires many steps. A unified input field that prepopulates a shoppingcart for the user can greatly simplify this process.

Information Exchange Between Browser/Agent Merchant Site API

In one aspect, this disclosure covers a novel browser having an APIthrough which information is exchanged between the browser and one ormore merchant sites as is illustrated in FIG. 17B to simplify thepayment process. Such a browser addresses prior problems with trying toaddress the complexity and deficiency of requiring users to enter in allof their payment information into numerous input fields. Some browsershad included form filling ability in which stored payment information isused to fill in forms on the browser's end. However, these form fillingfeatures never caught on and were still too cumbersome. The forms servedfrom merchant sites were not coordinated and users still had to view allof the data being entered and then sent back through the form to themerchant site. Further, different sites had different structures forfilling in all of the fields which confused the process. What is neededis a more comprehensive and coordinated effort to simplify the paymentand checkout process for sites that did not have a buy registered withstored payment data. The browser API disclosed herein solves thisproblem in a more comprehensive way such that the payment process trulycan be simplified down to its essential element in a way previouslyunachievable. For example, the site and the browser can exchange backand forth much more data in a more specific, strategic and tailored waythen the old form filling approach. Being able to exchange much moreinformation via the API enables a more efficient approach which will benoticeably easier to the user.

A browser or a web browser is a software application for retrieving,presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web.An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier(URI/URL) and can be a web page, image, video or other piece of content.Hyperlinks present in resources enable users easily to navigate theirbrowsers to related resources. Example web browsers are Firefox,Internet Explorer/Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Opera, and Safari. Theycan run on servers, desktop computers, laptops, mobile devices, and anyother device configured to run the software. Web browsers typicallyinclude a user interface, layout engine, rendering engine, JavaScriptinterpreter, user interface backend, networking component and datapersistence component.

The primary purpose of a web browser is to bring information resourcesto the user (“retrieval” or “fetching”), allowing them to view theinformation (“display”, “rendering”), and then access other information(“navigation”, “following links”).

The process begins when the user inputs a Uniform Resource Locator(URL), for example http://en.wikipedia.org/, into the browser. Theprefix of the URL, the Uniform Resource Identifier or URI, determineshow the URL will be interpreted. The most commonly used kind of URLstarts with “http:” and identifies a resource to be retrieved over theHypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

In the case of http, https, file, and others, once the resource has beenretrieved the web browser will display it. HTML and associated content(image files, formatting information such as CSS, etc.) is passed to thebrowser's layout engine to be transformed from markup to an interactivedocument, a process known as “rendering”. Aside from HTML, web browserscan generally display any kind of content that can be part of a webpage. Most browsers can display images, audio, video, and XML files, andoften have plug-ins to support Flash applications and Java applets.

Information resources may contain hyperlinks to other informationresources. Each link contains the URI of a resource to go to. When alink is clicked, the browser navigates to the resource indicated by thelink's target URI, and the process of bringing content to the userbegins again. Browsers can store user data such as payment data,one-click parameters or settings, as disclosed herein. Other paymentservices like Android Pay and Apple Pay can communicate with a browserfor payment functions. For example, a secure element on a device canstore payment data for Apple Pay and coordinate with the browser theaccess to that data for a payment on a site. Further, the browserfunctionality can be modified to communicate the necessary data via anAPI to simplify the purchasing process.

Accordingly, this embodiment covers the interaction through the APIbetween the browser and a merchant (such as http://www.merchant.com) tomanage the request and transmission of payment data through the API tothe merchant.com site so that the site can process a purchase of aproduct according to their normal payment processing structure. If aseparate payment service is used, the API can handle, in an organizedway, the management of the payment by the payment service andcommunicating payment data to the site. In this regard, the browser (orany other agent) can provide the intermediary communication of databetween the merchant, the buyer and the payment method or paymentaccount. The browser can store the payment information or cancommunicate with another local application that stores the paymentinformation or can communicate with a payment service like Android Payor Apple Pay. For example, with Apple Pay, data is stored in a secureelement that is accessed by the browser when a request is received forpayment via the browser API. Another server is accessed and a paymenttoken is generated which is passed through the browser API to themerchant site for processing. There is a standardized specification ofparameters and data that are communicated through the API to achieve theoverall objective of enabling a payment process which does not requirethe user to manually enter in credit card data, address, etc. Theprocess can enable the site to receive or create a pay button (differentin function from their locally used pay button which does not interfacethrough an API with the browser), request and receive payment data aboutthe user such as an address and payment account data, which can beencrypted, enable the user to update any of the payment data and thenlocally process the payment using the received payment data. There aremany mechanisms through which the browser can pass payment informationto the site. For example, the browser can store a credit card and/orcould be integrated with Android Pay through Chrome or Apple Pay throughSafari. In this regard, there may be a separate application or softwaresuch as Android Pay or Apple Pay that communicates with the browser toprovide one or more of the data needed to pass to the site for paymentprocessing. The separate application could also process the payment andreport back through the API to the site that the payment has been made.All the attending information associated with the payment can beprovided.

In one aspect, the process can proceed as follows. A computer-readablestorage device stores browser instructions which, when executed by aprocessor, cause the processor to perform browser operations forretrieving content, presenting the content in a user interface, andtraversing information resources on a world-wide network. The browserinstructions are modified and extended such that, when executed by theprocessor, the instructions cause the processor to perform furtheroperations including receiving, via the user interface and from a user,an interaction with an object associated with a site which can lead to apurchase. The object might be a button on a site or a kiosk, a button ina game that can lead to the need to process a payment, any interactionin a virtual reality environment leading to a purchase intent, or a buybutton associated with a product or service. The operations includereceiving, based on the interaction and via an application programminginterface, a request from the site for payment data for the user inconnection with the purchase and transmitting, to the site and via theapplication programming interface, the payment data (or a tokenizedversion of the payment data for security purposes), wherein the paymentdata can be used to process the purchase on the site. In one aspect,another agent, search engine, or entity processes the payment andreports back to the site as noted herein.

Another embodiment covers the process from the standpoint of themerchant who receives a payment interaction with an object, or anypayment interaction indication, and transmits a payment request to thebrowser/user interface payment request API, and receives back from thebrowser API the payment data for processing the payment.

Using a Kiosk with the Browser/User Interface Payment Request API

Another aspect of this disclosure addresses how a person would use akiosk with the browser/user interface payment request API. The kioskcould be any device with a browser through which a user may interactwith a merchant or other service provider to make a payment. It could beused for paying tolls, buying food, ordering replacement paper towels inyour pantry via a device, etc. In many cases these kiosks will be publicsuch that there is no single set of payment information that is storedon the browser or available through a paired device for responding torequests via the browser/user interface payment request API.

The problem is that if a person goes up to a public kiosk which can beused to purchase any item, the browser on the kiosk is not theirpersonal browser. It does not contain their payment information.However, that user may have their Android device, iPhone, or othermobile application that has a browser or some component of a userinterface (like for managing payments) that supports the browser/userinterface payment request API and thus stores the necessary paymentinformation or enables access to networked based information. Thefollowing provides a mechanism for enabling one to convert that kioskbrowser to a personalized browser temporarily such that thefunctionality is the same (i.e., one click, or simplified purchasing).The kiosk and the mobile device can exchange information such that thekiosk browser can be a temporary proxy for that user. Through Bluetooth,WiFi, near field communication, cellular, 5G, or any other approach orprotocol, even a wired approach, the kiosk browser can securely accessthe payment data (credit card account, Android Pay, Samsung Pay, ApplePay, Microsoft Wallet, other financial institution information, debitaccount, PayPal account, etc.) available to the mobile device browser.For example, an NFC tag can provide data to a mobile device when it istapped to initiate a browser or app, which will return an appropriateuser interface, to enable other operations (one or more) for performingactions such as purchasing an item, finding a location on a map, rentinga space or an object, opening a door or gate, and so forth. The mobiledevice might even be able to provide data or changes to the NFC tag aswell if the tag is configured and the mobile device is configured toenable writing data to NFC tags.

In some cases, the device will use Apple Pay or Android pay in thenormal wireless fashion. This disclosure enables a new approach whichleverages the payment request API infrastructure which is a standardizedapproach for making payments. Thus, while many merchants are moving inthe direction of using the payment request API, kiosk type devices canalso utilize the same payment mechanism.

When using Apple Pay on a laptop, the Safari browser will receive apayment request from a merchant site through the API (proprietary Applepayment request API), and in one aspect, the user will confirm thepurchase not on the laptop but on their iPhone via a fingerprintconfirmation. The laptop and the iPhone will communicate wirelessly toaccomplish the transaction. The proposed approach differs in severalrespects. The kiosk (or any device having a browser) in this case willnot in the first instance have any payment information for the user asit is a public kiosk. The browser/user interface payment request API canbe modified to include a notification that the browser being used is apublic browser or a browser without payment information. Thus, if a useris starting to pay a parking meter kiosk, and they interact with the“pay” button, the back end merchant application could send a paymentrequest through the API to see if that is an available payment option.The kiosk could query wirelessly (or using a wired connection) to see ifthe mobile device of the user has a browser containing the user paymentinformation and/or whether there is authorization to connect and utilizethat information. If so, then the user experience with the kiosk can bethe same or very similar to a normal purchasing experience using thebrowser API (confirmation through finger print, CVC code entry,confirmation of delivery address or payment account, etc.). Thecommunication between the kiosk browser API can be coordinated through aconnection between the kiosk browser and the mobile device browser ofthe user. A separate API can be used for communications, requests,replies, etc. between the kiosk browser and the mobile device browser.When the appropriate time comes for passing the payment information tothe merchant site, the data can be passed from the mobile browser to thekiosk browser to the merchant site. The data can be tokenized orencrypted in any manner for security. The merchant site then receivesthe payment data just as it would receive the data from a normal browserthrough the payment request API. The kiosk browser would not store thepayment data but only pass it through to the merchant.

In one aspect, for the kiosk browser to be able to properly communicatevia the browser API with the merchant in a situation where the kioskbrowser does not actually store the payment information for the user,parameters may be set or dummy information me be provided to enable thekiosk browser to respond. For example, if the merchant request indicatesthat the merchant accepts VISA and MASTERCARD payments, and the mobiledevice user has a VISA account stored in the mobile device browser, thecommunication between the mobile device and the kiosk can enable thekiosk browser to have enough information to respond to the merchantrequest that VISA will be used for the payment (although the kiosk maynot actually store the VISA account number). Any amount or type of datacould be communicated to enable the kiosk browser to successfullycommunicate via the browser API with the merchant while maintainingsecurity of the user's private information. For example, in onescenario, dummy information could populate data in the kiosk browser(one or more of dummy credit card number, user name, address, etc.) suchthat the kiosk browser believes it has the necessary data to process apayment. Then when actually providing the payment information isrequired, the mobile device could transmit a token or transmit thenecessary actual information to the kiosk which can forward theinformation to the merchant for processing a payment. In another aspect,the browser API could be modified such that a kiosk parameter could beset in the kiosk browser indicating that it is in communication with amobile device (or other device) and that although it does not have theactual data, the mobile device does and the user has a VISA account.Thus, the kiosk browser could proceed with the process of exchangingdata in a payment process. For example, the kiosk browser mayacknowledge that VISA can be used to make the payment, can receive thetotal amount of the charges, and shipping costs, and can forward thatinformation to the mobile device browser and receive and pass on thefinal payment and/or address or any other information to the merchantsite at the appropriate time in the process.

The kiosk may detect multiple mobile devices which could be associatedwith the user. (Three different people each with a device may be nearenough to the kiosk while the user is processing a payment).Accordingly, disambiguation techniques may be needed to ascertain whichdevice (which mobile browser) to use. An extra layer of security mayneed to be implemented, such as fingerprint confirmation on the kiosk,CVC code, dialog, speaker verification, and so forth. The confirmationmay be as simple as “is this Tom or Mary” or “what is your CVC code?”The user may need to provide fingerprint confirmation on their mobiledevice (“Confirm that this is Mary through fingerprint confirmation onyour iPhone”). Any such security measures are contemplated as part ofthis disclosure.

Assuming that the security measures are in place, the process disclosedis that the mobile device will pass payment information for the userthrough its browser to the kiosk browser which will then pass thepayment information through to the merchant for processing. The paymentinformation can be stored at the mobile browser or accessible by themobile browser from another entity. The result will be that the userwill have the same or a similar purchasing experience at the kiosk. Nocredit card will have to be swiped or used. The kiosk browser can act asan agent or proxy browser for the user to enable a simplified purchasingtransaction for the user. The payment process will be the familiarbrowser/user interface payment request API process even at a publickiosk.

The exchange between the mobile device and the kiosk can be through anAPI or any other means in which requests, responses, communication ofdata, and so forth can occur in connection with the purchasingtransaction. The kiosk browser will, in one aspect, not store theperson's payment information, delivery information, or any otherinformation about the user. Indeed, one approach can enable a separatedelivery of the payment information from the mobile device though a cellconnection or other connection to the merchant such that the kioskbrowser never even sees a tokenized version of the payment information.In another aspect, the kiosk can communicate data about the user to themerchant site and the merchant site can perform a browser API requestdirectly to the user mobile device and communicate payment data throughthat communication channel.

In one aspect, the payment interaction for a purchase made at a kioskcan actually occur on the mobile device. For example, the user may clickon a “pay” object on the kiosk but then be transitioned to their mobiledevice for viewing and interacting with payment interfaces. Any divisionof interfaces, communication of data, and so forth can occur between themobile device, the kiosk and/or other devices to achieve simplifiedinteraction for the user to achieve a payment of any product or service.

This alternate process could proceed as follows:

-   -   (1) The user with their mobile device approaches a kiosk with a        browser    -   (2) Prior to or as user initiates interaction with the kiosk, a        wireless communication is established between the mobile device        and the kiosk such that on the mobile device (or on the kiosk) a        pre-authorization object is presented such as “Mary, authorize        communication of payment information for your purchase with        Kiosk #3”. Through a simple authorization interaction with an        object, a fingerprint, a code, facial recognition, or any other        approach, the authorization is provided.    -   (3) In one aspect, the payment information (credit card,        address, expiration date, name, etc.) is communicated to the        kiosk browser such that the proper memory is populated with the        information. A one-time payment token could also be transmitted        to the kiosk from the mobile device.    -   (4) Mary uses the kiosk to browse products, make decisions and        ultimately interact with a “buy” object.    -   (5) The merchant site receives the interaction and initiates a        payment request through the browser API to the kiosk browser and        Mary interacts with the kiosk browser to confirm the purchase in        the standard way.    -   (6) The kiosk browser, following the final confirmation, deletes        from its memory the payment information for Mary and can confirm        the deletion.    -   (3a) In another aspect, the payment information is maintained on        Mary's mobile device.    -   (4a) Mary uses the kiosk to browse products, make decisions and        ultimately interact with a “buy” object.    -   (5a) The merchant site receives the interaction and initiates a        payment request through the browser API to the kiosk browser.    -   (6a) The kiosk browser communicates with the mobile browser to        receive the payment information from the mobile browser. The        payment information can be a one-time use token that is received        by the kiosk browser and passed through the API to the merchant        site. The kiosk browser may act like the user's mobile browser        say on a laptop and communicate with the user's iPhone to        confirm an Apple Pay payment.    -   (7a) Mary interacts with the kiosk browser to confirm the        purchase in the standard way.

All the necessary data, communication, requests and responses, andconfirmation can occur between the various devices to enable, in as fewinteractions as possible, a linking of the user's mobile device, withpayment information, and the kiosk device, such that the user is enabledto use the kiosk browser in the manner as they would use the browser ontheir own mobile device, desktop device, tablet, or laptop device. Theultimate goal is to give the user the same comfortable purchasingexperience via a kiosk or with any device that uses the browser API formanaging the purchasing process but that does not store or know of theparticular user.

Peer-to-Peer Browser API Application

In another aspect, the browser API could be utilized for peer-to-peerpayments. In this scenario, the “merchant” site could simply be a peersite which initiates the requests for payment data. In a peer-to-peerscenario, in which each user, for example, has a mobile device, or anykind of device, it is assumed that each device has a browser configuredto communicate data through a browser API. A service could operate toperform the particular functions that the merchant typically operates asdisclosed herein. For example, while a first device communicates with asecond device via an application in a peer-to-peer context, if aninstruction is made for a first peer to transmit $20 to the second peer,then a service could generate the necessary payment requests through thebrowser API with the first peer as well as payment requests through thebrowser API with the second peer. In this scenario, the browser APIwould be modified so that the second peer is not making a payment but israther receiving a payment. In this regard, the browser API would bemodified to retrieve the account data for the second peer such thatmoney could be paid to that account. This is a similar process thatwould occur for refunds which could generally be processed in the sameway. This approach can also be used for refunds to a user. For example,a user could receive via the browser API a tokenized payment datapacket. Once received through the browser API, the device cancommunicate that token to a payment processing system for receiving therefund to their account.

Thus, in a peer-to-peer context, the method can include enabling apeer-to-peer communication between the first peer and a second peer andreceiving an indication of a desire to transfer a benefit, such asmoney, but the benefit could be points, media, or any item of value,from the first peer to the second peer. The method would includeinitiating a first payment request through the browser API to the firstpeer as disclosed herein with the necessary information to retrievepayment data and/or other data to accomplish the payment. The service.The charge the payment account of the first peer. A credit request couldbe submitted through the browser API to the second peer. Similar to thepayment request API disclosed herein, the exchange of information couldharmonize available payment approaches available for the service toprovide a credit and accounts types available by the second peer toreceive the credit. The service could then charge the amount from thefirst peer based on the data received via the browser API and provide acredit the account of the second peer based on the account data receivedfrom the second peer. In one aspect, the second peer to provide aone-time use token which is configured differently from a payment tokenbecause it would be a credit receipt token. The service could utilizethe payment receipt token from the second peer and provide one timepayment to the account of the second peer without ever actually viewingthe payment data. A cryptocurrency, or other payment approach could alsobe truly peer-to-peer without an intervening service such that theappropriate keys or tokens or payment data could be exchanged via therespective APIs and managed between browsers on the different devices.Further, peer-to-peer purchases of products and delivery could also beprovided in a similar manner where address information can also becommunicated via a browser API of a purchaser of a product such that theseller in the peer-to-peer communication can receive a payment as wellas the delivery information for delivering the item. Any other data orinformation that is desirable to be communicated in a peer-to-peercontext could be implemented in a modified browser API such thatpeer-to-peer to communications, sales, money transfers, and so forth areenabled. In another aspect, the API can be used to receive a payment ata service and a recipient debit card could be used to credit the paymentto the peer to peer recipient.

Utilizing the API for Registration Purposes

The browser or other agent (such as amazon.com) can store address, name,credit card, etc. Besides being used for payment, the API could also becalled from any other site for other purposes. For example, if a user isregistering for a conference, the registration website could generate anAPI request to the agent (browser, service, amazon.com, or any otherentity that stores the information and interacts via an API) which asksfor just the user name and email address, or whatever combination ofinformation is needed for registration. Any input field on any site thatrequests one or more pieces of information could submit a requestthrough the API for that information. The normal payment request APIincludes such information as what payment types are approved for thatsite (VISA, Mastercard, etc.) but the API could be modified to simplyask for the name only, or name and address, or name and email address,and so forth.

Thus, by expanding the use of the API, a person utilizing any website orapplication that has any input field which requests even discrete piecesof information, may not have to manually enter that information becausean API call to the browser could be made for filling in the data. Thus,uses beyond or completely independent of a payment process could utilizean information field API to fill in the information. In this regard, thebrowser could also store beyond payment data or payment relevant data,other information such as preferences, food restrictions, roomrequirements, location based information, birthdays, or any piece ofinformation that could be useful for any site input field. Any suchpiece of information can be received through the browser API. This canalso provide a standardized process across the web for people, say,registering for a conference or providing their email address to obtainaccess to a website or to content, booking hotel rooms, registering forclasses, requesting a white paper, and so forth.

Merchant and Browser Interaction Utilizing an Object to Exchange PaymentData

In another aspect, the disclosure covers, as is shown in FIG. 17C abrowser receiving, via the user interface, an interaction by a user withan object associated with a site (1720), the interaction indicating auser intent to make a purchase, receiving, based on the interaction andvia an application programming interface, a request from the site forpayment data in connection with the purchase (1722) and transmitting, tothe site and via the application programming interface, the payment data(1724), wherein the payment data can be used to process a payment ordeliver a product associated with the purchase.

The process can in more detailed be performed as follows. After a userinteracts with the object, the site can make the JavaScript API call fora payment request via a browser/user interface payment request APIbetween the browser/user interface and the site or app. The API requestcan include data such as acceptable forms of payment for the site (Visa,Mastercard, Bitcoin, etc.), the amount to be charged, what currency theyexpect, other data depending on the context of the purchase, and soforth. The API request can also include details about the transactionsuch as total amount, currency, how amounts are calculated, tax,discounts, shipping costs, etc. The browser can then determine a matchbetween acceptable payments and available payments through stored creditcard information, access to an altcoin wallet for the user, Apple Pay,Android Pay PayPal, or any other type of payment service. The system maypresent the user with current information and an opportunity to add ashipping address, correct data, or change any of the necessary data forthe transaction. The system receives and updates any changed data. Ifoptions are presented to the user, the user can select which paymentoption to use for processing the transaction.

Next, the user can authorize the transaction depending on the type ofpayment account the user is using. A shipping address might be exchangedor used to include in a total amount a shipping charge. An interface canbe presented to the user to confirm one or more of a payment method, apayment amount, a shipping address, and so forth. The payment methodmight be through a stored credit card in which the last 4 digits mightbe presented for confirmation. If that is used, then the credit cardinformation (card number, expiration date, name, CVC) is transmittedthrough the API to the site for processing using the site's paymentprocess system. This can be an encrypted transmission or some securemechanism to maintain security such as a generated one time use token.If a local payment is chosen through say a Google Wallet, Android Pay orApple Pay type of service, then the chosen service can process thepayment and a report through the API can be provided to the site. Otherinformation about the user can be sent to the merchant as well such asemail address, address, payer phone, social media data, contacts insocial media etc. The merchant can then continue with a relationshipwith the buyer.

From the merchant standpoint, the method can generally proceed asfollows and shown in FIG. 17D. The method includes communicating databetween a site (the merchant) and a browser (1730). The method includestransmitting, for presenting via the user interface of the browser, anobject with which a user can interact (1732), receiving an interactionby the user with the object associated with the site (1734), theinteraction indicating a user intent to make a purchase, transmitting,based on the interaction and via an application programming interfacebetween the site and the browser, a request from the site for paymentdata in connection with the purchase (1736) and receiving, at the siteand via the application programming interface, the payment data (1738),wherein the payment data confirms a payment or can be used to process apayment for a product or deliver the product associated with thepurchase. As noted above, the payment processing can occur on eitherside of the API depending on what service the user is signed up for orthe preferences of the user. When the site processes the payment for theproduct, the payment data can include at least user payment account datasuch as a one time use token. The method can further includes the siteprocessing the payment for the product based on the payment account datareceived from the browser via the application programming interface.When a payment service processes the payment for the product, thepayment data can include a confirmation that the payment for the producthas occurred by the payment service such that the site can deliver theproduct to the user. Alternately, if an altcoin approach is selected,the API protocols can include a feature for exchanging, in an encryptedfashion, information or personal keys, addresses, amounts, conversiondata between currency and altcoin values, and any other data necessaryto enable an altcoin wallet or payment service to make the altcoinpayment to the merchant site and report the success of the payment. Inthis regard, the API protocol is structured such that the user canselect various methods of payment, including payments occurring on thebrowser side of the API (through the browser or payment serviceassociated with the browser or communicating with the browser, or analtcoin system) or on the merchant side of the API, through themerchant's standard payment processing structure for payment systemslike Visa, Mastercard, Debit cards, PayPal, etc. Thus, in one userinterface as the user is getting close to making a purchase, the usercould see payment options such as “Visa ********1234” or “Android-Pay”.Choosing the Visa payment method would cause the back end processingbetween the merchant and the browser to have the Visa paymentinformation, account number, security code, user name, address, etc.transmitted to the merchant site so the merchant can process thepayment. Choosing Android Pay would result in the purchase amount, tax,shipping and/or any other necessary data to be transmitted through theAPI such that the Android Pay service could process the payment andreport back a confirmation of a completed payment such that the merchantcan deliver the product.

The above approach also can be applied to the drop-down or drop upmenus. With the API in place, the efficiency of making purchases from adrop-down/up menu option can be increased. For example, a user'sinformation such as hat size, shoe size, shirt size, pant size, etc. canbe stored. User preferences for color, style, etc. can be stored andsuch information can also be accessed via social media sites or contactinformation. This data can be used to help autocomplete or selectproducts to list in a drop-down menu. Such information can becommunicated via the browser API with merchants who sell products withparameters that can be filled in through such user data. If the userstarts to type “green baseball cap”, a drop-down menu item could state“green baseball cap 7 8/5 inches, buy now with Visa, $11, delivered byWalmart on Tuesday”. As the user types the words, a correlation to aproduct database at a merchant site could lead to the merchantexchanging product information or make a request for a payment requestthrough the payment request API. The user's address can be drawn upon todetermine shipping costs, taxes, etc, quickly such that the drop-down/upmenu can include one or more of a charge, a payment option, deliveryinformation, description of product, size information, personal userpreferences for color or style, etc. The user merely clicks on thatoption to make the payment (on either side of the API depending on thecapabilities of the merchant, user payment accounts, and so forth), andhave the product delivered. If more than one payment option is available(Visa, Android Pay, Bitcoin), the item in the drop-down menu can perhapshave multiple sub options to choose from perhaps in a left to rightfashion. This would be a more dynamic drop-down/up menu in which theuser could drop-down to select the row but then slide to the right orleft until the cursor is over the Android Pay option. Releasing thecursor could cause the system to continue to exchange information viathe API and process the payment through the Android Pay option andreport that payment to the merchant. The menu option could report anynumber of different pieces of information for the product, such as apickup location (For pickup at Walmart in Dunkirk), and so forth.Current drop-down menus provide some options like to search for the itemon Amazon.com or Yahoo.com but they do not provide the purchasingsimplicity that can be achieved by tailoring the drop-down/up choicesthrough use of the browser API between the browser and merchant sites.Objects that the user can interface with can be presented in anylocation on the user interface, not just drop-down menus.

Another benefit of this approach is that as the user is typing in theproduct information into the search field, the user can view thedrop-down/up results and narrow the scope as they go. For example, if auser types in “baseball cap”, a drop-down/up item could include itemssuch as: “G”reen Baseball cap sold from “W”almart or “C”osco. The usercould continue to type: “baseball cap G C” which could utilize the hintsfrom the drop-down menu to make it green and from Cosco. Perhaps twoprices could be shown “$11 or $20” and the user continues to type “11”into the input field. The dynamic exchange of typing and feedback fromthe drop-down/up menu item could also indicate which of a number ofdifferent drop-down/up menu items the user is interacting with andcontinue to focus the search and the results on what the user is lookingfor. Throughout this process, it can quickly be assumed that a purchaseintent is likely and the exchange of payment data and options can bepresented and chosen by the user. For example, the drop-down menu itemmay say “Green Baseball Cap, $11, “A”ndroid Pay, “V”isa or “B”itcoin””and the user could continue to type “baseball cap G C V” which wouldindicate the choice of Visa as the payment method. Pictures can bedynamically presented through this process including the opportunity toclick on a picture and continue providing information through the inputfield such that ultimately the user has chosen the item, its color,size, and so forth, the payment mechanism, and can confirm the payment.In one example, the menu item could be more dynamic than current menuitems to let the user click on different objects within the item tochoose payment options, size, color, merchant, delivery address, and soforth. As the user narrows down which drop-down/up item the user wantsto focus on, more information to complete a purchase could be providedsuch that the process becomes very quick and simple. The menu itemscould start out short and simple but as the user types more or interactswith a menu item, new data or objects could be presented which, in adynamic fashion through interaction with the API, could lead to a quickfinalizing of the item for purchase. For example, the user may initiallychoose “iPhone 8, from Bob's Audio Video”, but then the merchant cancommunicate that it can handle Visa and Android Pay through the API. Ifthe user also has these payment options available, then the menu itemcan add two selectable objects which the user could click on oralternately continue typing in the input field (since the user isalready at the keyboard typing anyway) a “v” or an “a” to represent thechoice. The system after interacting to confirm an item, an amount, adelivery address, a payment option, etc. can manage the payment asdisclosed herein on either side of the API, and instruct the merchant tomake the delivery.

The process, through the browser API, enables the exchange of paymentdata, one-click parameters or settings, any other data, and to processthe payment in the manner chosen by the user. The merchant delivers theitem. The drop-down/up menu concepts disclosed herein work in adifferent way with the browser/user interface payment request API butachieve a similar result of more efficient purchasing process for theuser. The disclosure covers the interactions both from the side of thebrowser interacting throughout the process through the API with themerchant and the processing from the merchant site where they managetheir database of products and interact and exchange information,requests and so forth via the API with the browser.

The following discussion continues to relate to the use of an API orother protocol to communicate payment related data from a browser, site,agent, or other storage location to a merchant site for the purpose ofpopulating payment fields for the user to simplify the purchasingprocess. In one aspect, the disclosure relates now to transition a userfrom a search engine, social media site, or any site, to a merchant siteusing the API. In another aspect, the merchant site can (independent ofhow the user navigated to the site) interact via the API with thebrowser/agent/entity to obtain the payment data for automaticallypopulating the payment information to eliminate or reduce the need ofthe user to fill in data fields, which is particularly cumbersome on amobile device.

In one aspect, a system, method and computer-readable storage devicesare disclosed which prepopulate a shopping cart in an online vendor'swebsite based on intent determined by a classifier that processes inputprovided to the unified input field. The user intent can be classifiedor determined in any manner. A user can be registered with and/or loggedin with his or her browser, such as Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer,Samsung Internet, Microsoft Edge, Safari, or Opera, such that user'spurchasing credit/debit card or other accounts and delivery addresses,and/or other data, are stored in a user profile. Then, if the userdesires to make a purchase through a destination website that may have aproduct not found on their registered website, the browser (or systemprocessing in a network) can handle negotiation (via an API) between thebrowser and the website such that the system can convert a shopping-cartbased model website with which the user is not registered into a“one-click” purchasing experience for the user. For example, the system(through a service like Google Wallet, Apple Pay, Android Pay, orPayPal, etc.) can handle the payment for the item and communicate withthe merchant site to handle delivery. Of course in this scenario, theprocess can initiate not from a search engine but merely from a statewithin the merchant site in which the user is in a position of making apurchase of an item. At that state, the merchant site could communicatevia the API with the browser, agent, or search entity, to retrievepayment data for populating the necessary payment fields and present viathe interface with the user a simplified purchasing experience. Withpayment data (one or more of account data, delivery data, dates,delivery options, preferences, etc.) communicated through the API to themerchant site, the merchant site can process a payment from the user'spayment account using their normal payment system.

Assuming that appropriate permissions are in place, such as in a browsersetting authorizing the browser to navigate and provide input in awebsite's purchasing, registration, or shopping cart process toautomatically input name, address, credit card information, etc., thesystem can automatically populate a shopping cart, including evenregistering on behalf of the user at a website with which the user hasnot registered. This can occur as part of a transition from say a socialnetworking site to a destination merchant site in a one-click purchasingstate based on a setting in the browser that needs to be accessed in thetransition. The user provides input in a unified input field, such as“buy acme toaster 4.5” which the system and the classifier categorize asa desire to make a purchase of a particular toaster model. The systemdetermines, based on various criteria such as pricing, shipping,country, and so forth, a merchant website that offers that toastermodel. The user has never registered or made a purchase at the merchantwebsite offering the toaster for sale. Thus, if the user were to buy thetoaster from that merchant website, the user would have to place thetoaster in a virtual shopping cart, then enter personal information suchas address, credit/debit card information, user name, password, and soforth to have the item shipped.

The system, in one aspect, can identify the merchant site based on theinput provided via the unified input field or can initiate the processdirectly from the merchant site independent of a search to arrive at themerchant site. Then the system can navigate to the state in the merchantwebsite where the user would normally click to place the item in theshopping cart. In this case, however, the system will navigate to themerchant website where the item can be placed in the shopping cart, anddetermine that the user is not registered with this merchant website.Then the system can automatically communicate with the merchant website,such as via a new user registration page, or an API, to create a newaccount on behalf of the user using the user data available to thesystem and/or to the browser. Thus, the system can present to the userjust the confirmation in a button to purchase via one click. Theconfirmation can be a double confirmation of authorization to create anew account and authorization to then place the order using the newaccount. The user can automatically authorize new registrations and canestablish settings or preferences governing new profile registrations.The system can then enter all the necessary data, retrieved from thebrowser or some other location, to complete the registration and causethe item to be purchased and shipped without the need of further userinput. This approach can turn non-one-click purchasing websites intoone-click purchasing websites, via input through the unified inputfield. The system can also use the registered payment information toprocess the payment as well and coordinate with the merchant site forfilling the order. The process of obtaining payment data through the APIfor automatically providing payment and/or delivery data can also occursimply between the merchant site and the browser through the API. Themerchant site, at the appropriate state in which the user may make apurchase, can submit a request through the API for payment data whichcan be provided as stored by the browser or agent for simplifying thepurchasing process. The data can also be provided from the browser tothe merchant site via a tokenized process to protect payment accountinformation. The interface the user views can be a combination ofmerchant information (picture of the product, reviews, other date) aswell as a “'buy now” or “buy through google” or “Android Pay” type ofbutton which is provided via the API to the graphical interface.

In one aspect, the system stores whatever information is necessary touse the payment request API on the user device. For example, when a useradds a debit or credit card to a payment mechanism, the accountinformation is encrypted and sent to a network server. The server(s)then link up with the user bank to verify the information. The bank cancreate an encrypted device account number that is transmitted back tothe servers and stored on the secure element in the user device. Thesecure element can be embedded in a near field communication (NFC) chipon a device. This number is completely unique to the user device and tothe credit and debit cards (or cryptocurrency or other forms of payment)associated with it.

When the user makes a purchase through the browser API, the secureelement (which is a security chip) creates a unique code and sends that,along with the device account number, to the payment terminal in placeof the card number. The card information, in one aspect, is not storedon the user device or in the servers and it may not be backed up to acloud provider. The unique code is transmitted through the browser APIto the merchant site for processing the payment. Thus, according to thisaspect, the information stored on the user device may not specificallybe the payment account number but is a particular account number whichis associated with the payment account number of the user. The endresult is the same as if the device transmitted the account number tothe merchant site for payment. With some service providers, the deviceaccount number is used to identify the credit card or debit card usedfor the payment.

FIG. 17E illustrates a tokenization process 1740 for use with thepayment request API. When using a tokenized process, a merchant 1744 mayneed several pieces of information to be able to process the receivedtoken from the browser API. A merchant may need a unique identifier thatrepresents a merchant associated with the payment process. The merchantmay need a payment processing certificate that is used to securelytransfer payment data. Network servers 1750 can use the paymentprocessing certificates public key to encrypt the payment data. Themerchant may use a private key to decrypt the data when processing thepayments or the token information. A merchant identity certificate or atransport layer security certificate can be used to authenticate amerchant session with network servers. This process will be illustratedin more detail next.

As is shown in FIG. 17E, merchants or applications 1744 will interact1754 with a user or a shopper 1742 as the user navigates through thesite. Once the user decides to make a purchase, they may click on a buybutton and authorize a payment process to initiate. This can alsoinclude a touch ID such as a fingerprint to authorize payment 1756. Suchcapabilities can be enabled in Xcode. As noted above, the merchant 1744has, in one aspect, registered a merchant ID and created a paymentprocessing certificate, which is a cryptographic key that is used tosecurely send payment data to the merchant server. The clicking of a buybutton and providing fingerprint authorization to process a payment caninvolve a single step or can involve multiple steps.

To initiate a payment, the merchant application creates a paymentrequest to submit to the payment request API between the merchant 1744and the browser 1746. This request can include the subtotal for theservices and goods purchased, as well as any additional charges for tax,shipping, or discounts. The merchant can pass this request to a paymentauthorization view controller, which displays the request to the userand prompts for any needed information, such as a shipping or billingaddress. A delegate can be called to update the request as the userinteracts with the view controller 1754. This can also include requestsfor size information, color preferences, social media data like birthdayinformation, or any other information that can relate to the purchase.

As soon as the user authorizes the payment 1756, payment information canbe encrypted to prevent an unauthorized third party from accessing it.In one aspect, the payment request can be sent to a secure element (suchas the secure element used on iPhones to enable Apple Pay with nearfield communication at a merchant site), which is a dedicated chip onthe user's device 1746. The secure element adds the payment data for thespecified card and merchant, creating an encrypted payment token 1758.It then passes 1760 this token to network servers 1750, where theservers reencrypt the token using the merchant payment processingcertificate 1762. The servers 1750 transmit 1762 the reencrypted tokenback to the user device 1746. The reencrypted token represents a secondtoken that is prepared to be transmitted to the merchant site 1744.Through the browser API, the user device 1746 sends the encrypted tokenand/or payment data back to the merchant site 1764 for processing. Otherdata requested can also be transmitted through the API back to the site,such as shoe size, shirt size, pant size, color preferences, stylepreferences, etc. Multiple different calls to the API can be made in theprocess at different stages. For example, several steps prior to apayment request being made, the merchant site might want the sizeinformation so that the user does not have to click “X” or “XL” or “M”for a shirt size. Furthermore, body models are being generated for thehuman body. Data for the user can be stored in a body shape model at thebrowser or accessible by the browser. If the use is looking for clothsonline, data about their body model could be retrieved via a browser APIand transmitted to the site which can adjust the presentation ofclothing for that individual. They could also include data for otherindividuals such that as the user interact with the site, the site couldsay is this for you or your sister, or your wife and their body modeldata could be transmitted such that the clothing could be tailor to theright person. Views of clothing items could then be modified for thatbody model.

The merchant site 1744 then, as part of the payment process, calls aREST service (which is known by those of skill in the art for processingpayments) or other similar service with the encrypted token and paymentdata 1766 which communicates the data to a commerce server 1748. Theserver 1748 submits the cart to order 1768 and authorizes the payment1770 to a payment gateway 1752. An “ok” signal 1772 is transmitted backto the commerce server 1748 which communicates 1774 a return paymentstatus to the merchant site 1744. The payment, having been processed andconfirmed, causes the merchant site 1744 to dismiss the payment sheet1776 and display an order confirmation to the user 1778.

In one aspect, the payment token is never accessed or stored on thenetwork servers 1750 which are used to encrypt the payment data andtoken. The servers simply reencrypt the token using the merchantcertificate. This process lets merchants securely encrypt the paymentinformation without it having to distribute the payment processingcertificate as part of the merchant application.

In many cases, the merchant site passes the encrypted payment token to athird-party payment solution provider 1748 to decrypt and process thepayment. However, where merchants have an existing paymentinfrastructure, the merchant can decrypt and process the payment ontheir own server. Reading, verifying, and processing payment informationcan involve one or more cryptographic steps such as calculating an SHA-1hash, reading and validating a PKCS #7 signature, and performingelliptic curve Diffie-Hellman key exchange. It is noted that the aboveapproach represents an example tokenization process for use with thebrowser/user interface payment request API. A payment token object caninclude such data as a transaction ID, an amount of money, data aboutthe product, information about payment network, payment token data suchas a signature and a header which can include encrypted payment data,and an amount, a cardholder name, a CVV code, an expiration date, apayment account number, payment processing data, and address, other userpreferences, cryptographic currency data, and so forth. Of course otherprocesses are contemplated as well for tokenization, which can add alayer of security to the process.

In another aspect, the browser may be operational on a first userdevice, such as a laptop computer, and the payment data may be stored ona second user device, such as a mobile device or mobile phone. The firstuser device and the second user device can communicate wirelesslythrough a protocol, such as the Bluetooth protocol. In some scenarios,the first device may not have a fingerprint identification option, whilethe second device does. In this scenario, while the user interacts viathe first device with a browser which is configured to utilize thebrowser payment request application programming interface, the firstdevice, as part of the payment process, will establish a communicationwith the second device such that the user can authorize the payment viaa touch identification, and wherein the second device can be utilizedfor generating a payment token and communicating with a network serverto receive a second payment token which is passed from the second deviceto the first device and through the browser payment request applicationprogramming interface to the merchant site for payment processing. Inother scenarios, the first device includes a fingerprint recognitionmechanism, and thus only a single device is needed for confirmingauthorization of the purchase. The browser can be any user interfaceused to view and navigate sites or applications. The browser API mayalso receive one or more of data about the product, the merchant, keysfor encrypted communication, or any other information such that apayment process could occur separate from passing payment data throughthe API back of the merchant. For example, for security purposes,payment information may be communicated to a separate payment processorwhich can handle the payment so that payment data for the user is notprovided to the site. However, the merchant still must delivery aproduct, so the browser API could have a separate payment processorprocess the payment but pass a user name and address deliveryinformation to the site for delivering the product.

In yet another aspect which relates to processing from a browser orapplication standpoint, an example method includes presenting, on agraphical user interface, a presentation, the presentation beingreceived from a site over a network, receiving, via the user interfaceand from a user, an interaction with the presentation, receiving, via abrowser application programming interface between a browser and amerchant site, a request from the site for payment account data for theuser and transmitting, to the site and via the application programminginterface, the payment account data, or other data, wherein the paymentaccount data can be used to populate payment fields for paymentprocessing on the site. The data can be a token which can be used oncefor a payment and that maintains privacy of the account information. Thepayment account data may just be used by the merchant site forprocessing the payment and may not literally populate fields thatotherwise would be manually populated by user input. For example, ifpayment data is received in a tokenized secure manner, the data may justbe used to process a payment and not literally used to fill in pre-setform fields. The presentation can include one of a product for purchaseand a service. The method can include the site processes a payment foran item or a service using the payment account data for the user. Thegraphical user interface can be associated with a browser or anapplication. In one aspect the API that communicates data between thesite (merchant site) and a browser that can store the payment accountdata for the user. This aspect covers the process from the standpoint ofthe browser that stores the payment/deliver data of the user andcommunicates that data via the API with the merchant site for populatingthe necessary fields (or an equivalent type of process) to create aone-click purchasing experience for the user who is on the merchantsite.

The API can also be used to request body type, sizes, or a body modelfor the user for use in presenting clothing for purchase. In anotheraspect, the merchant site may determine whether the browser API isavailable through the browser being used to navigate the site. If so,then a browser API request can continue, and if not, the site proceedswith a standard input field approach for payment and addressinformation.

The method can further include updating the presentation to include abuy option which is configured, based on a confirmation from the user,to enable the site to utilize the payment account data received throughthe API to process a purchase of an item or service without a need ofthe user to fill in the payment fields on the site. The browser or otheragent communicating via the API can also provide the graphic for a “paynow” type of button to integrate with site graphics. The payment accountdata can further include one or more of address data for the user, apayment account number, an expiration date, a security code, acardholder name and shipping instructions for the user.

The request through the API can further include one or more of asupported payment method for the site, a total amount value for apurchase, items that may be displayed for purchase, shipping options,payment modifiers, a request for a user email address, a request for auser's phone number, and a request to update information. A user agentsimilar to or separate from the browser can communicate the paymentaccount data between the application programming interface and the site.

In another aspect, the method includes the concept from the standpointof the site. The method in this context includes transmitting, forviewing on a graphical user interface, a presentation, the presentationbeing transmitted from a site over a network to a device having thegraphical user interface, receiving, via the network and from a user, aninteraction with the presentation, and transmitting, to an applicationprogramming interface, a request for payment account data of the user.The method includes receiving, at the site and via the applicationprogramming interface, the payment account data and populating paymentdata fields associated with a payment process with the payment accountdata for the user to yield populated payment data fields. The paymentdata may also be in a tokenized format for processing a payment in asecure way that does not reveal the user's account information. Partialaccount information (u.e., the last 4 digits of the account number)could be transmitted for presentation on a user interface to confirmwhich account to use. The site can process a payment for an item or aservice using the payment account data for the user. The API cancoordinate data between the browser and the site wherein the browserstores the payment account data for the user. Upon receiving aconfirmation from the user to make a purchase of an item or serviceassociated with the presentation, the method can include processing apayment for the product using the populated payment data fields.

The method can further include, upon receiving the payment account data,updating the presentation to include a buy option which is configured,based on a confirmation from the user, to enable the site to utilize thepayment account data to process a purchase of a product or servicewithout a need of the user to manually fill in the payment data fieldson the site. The payment account data can further include one or more ofaddress data for the user, a payment account number, an expiration date,a security code, a cardholder name and shipping instructions for theuser. The request can further include one or more of a supported paymentmethod for the site, a total amount value for a purchase, items that maybe displayed for purchase, shipping options, payment modifiers, arequest for a user email address, a request for a user's phone number,and a request to update information. A user agent can also communicatethe payment account data between the application programming interfaceand the site. In another aspect, a method includes presenting, on agraphical user interface, a presentation, the presentation beingreceived from a site over a network, receiving, via the user interfaceand from a user, an interaction with the presentation, receiving, via anapplication programming interface, a request from the site for paymentaccount data for the user, autopopulating a payment field associatedwith the presentation with the payment account data (or just using thedata as necessary for payment processing) and transmitting, to the siteand via the application programming interface, the payment account data,wherein the site can process a payment based on the payment account datafor the user. The method can also include receiving a confirmation fromthe user of a purchase after the payment field is autopopulated.

The system can process the new registration pages silently, such as in abackground tab or new window in the browser, or can negotiate the newregistration process with the merchant website without presenting theregistration page to the user at all. The system can present a progressbar on the same page containing the unified input field after the userrequests a purchase, such as by pressing enter after providing input viathe unified input field. The progress bar can indicate to the user theprogress of creating a new account, entering shipping data, adding theitem to the cart of the merchant web site, and placing the order.

The user can establish default preferences for which personalinformation to use for new registrations. The user can establish thesedefault preferences in advance of encountering the merchant website, oreven in advance of encountering the unified input field. Alternatively,at the first instance where a registration is required, the system canprompt the user to establish such settings and/or provide additionalinformation.

The system can prefer merchant websites with which the user already hasan account or with which the user is already registered. For example, ifMerchant X and Merchant Y both offer the same item for sale, the systemcan choose to use the one of these two merchants where the user alreadyhas an account. The system can determine this by examining a browserhistory, profile data available to the browser, browser type, or cookiesstored by the browser or by other browsers associated with the user. Thesystem can intelligently determine when to use a merchant with which theuser is not registered, such as based on a difference in shipping time,or a difference in price. For example, if the merchant with whom theuser is not registered offers the desired item at a price that is atleast 25% lower than the merchant with whom the user is registered, thenthe system can create a new account. If the user does not desire to havethe system create user accounts on his or her behalf, the user caninstruct the system to make purchases where he or she already hasaccounts, or at merchant websites which allow guest accounts.

However, the system can identify, using the classifier and user profiledata, the merchants the user is most likely to select, and present themto the user for disambiguation. The system can present to the user atable, such as by a JavaScript popup, showing merchants, shipping times,and total price including shipping and tax. The user can simply click ona desired merchant from the table, and the system can automaticallyregister the user with that merchant if necessary, and process the orderwith that merchant. The user only has to make one click to identify themerchant, and the system handles the rest of the steps, therebyproviding a one-click interface into a non-one-click website via theunified input field.

FIG. 17F illustrates another aspect 1782 of using the browser API forcommunicating payment data. After the user has navigated through awebsite and initiates a checkout process 1787, the webpage should createa payment request which is typically initiated when the user clicks“buy” button. The payment request can include method data, details andoptions. The method data can include required payment method data thatincludes payment method identifiers, required transaction information,and optional information such as shipping or contact information thatshould be returned. In one aspect, the payment amount could be negativeand the payment request API could be used to process returns ordiscounts. Of course in this aspect, money would flow from the merchantsite through the browser API to the user's digital wallet or paymentaccount. In this aspect as well, the process could essentially bereversed where the user would initiate a payment request from thebrowser or from a site and any aspect of this process could essentiallybe reversed where shipping information, discounts, any other datanecessary, can be utilized to enable a refund to be processed. Tokenscould be used and generated either on the browser side or the merchantside with account information and data for processing a return or a peerto peer payment. Return shipping information, extra charges, or anyother data necessary to enable a user to return an item, and receive arefund can be exchanged through the browser API in a similar manner asoccurs when the user makes a purchase at a merchant site.

Continuing with FIG. 17F, the payment request 1788, can initiate a“show” function, which shows a dialogue 1789 for use as an interface forprocessing the payment. A user's wallet 1786, such as the Microsoftwallet, a cryptographic wallet, payment information stored at a browseror other location, and so forth can be branded or utilized as part ofuser interface. In this example, the user chooses a shipping address1791 through the interface. FIG. 17G illustrates an interface 1781 withsuch information as the user's name, shipping address, shipping options,and email address for a receipt. The shipping information is returnedfrom the wallet 1786 to the browser 1785 which is then passed to thewebpage 1784 such that the webpage can request a shipping cost 1793 froma Web server 1783 which returns the shipping cost to the merchant 1784who can then update the price 1794 which is passed to the browser 1785and the wallet 1786. A payment response 1795 is generated for the walletto the browser 1785 which passes the payment response through thebrowser API to the merchant 1784 who makes the purchase 1796. A successor failure signal 1797 is provided to the merchant who can then completethe process 1798 by informing the browser 1785, at which point thepurchase is complete 1799. While FIG. 17F does not specifically mentiona tokenization process, various encryption technologies could also beused to encrypt data or tokenize the data such that the payment requestor the payment response passed through the browser API could be aone-time use token which encrypts the various information needed toprocess one or more of a payment, a delivery of payment, and update ofuser information, and so forth.

FIG. 17H illustrates an interface 1771 which has several unique featuresto it. One unique feature is that there is no buy button in the touchsensitive screen 1779. The standard way of providing a secure purchasingexperience with fingerprint ID is to require several interactions tocomplete the purchase. The first would be to click on a buy button onthe user interface 1779, followed by a user ID via fingerprintconfirmation. Since it involves two clicks, an approved mechanism for asystem which includes a fingerprint ID could be the following. While theuser is navigating through a site such that they are approaching a statein which a purchase could be made, the site could provide a requestthrough a browser payment request interface for preliminary informationassociated with a purchase. The preliminary information could includethe town or city of the buyer as well as the name of the buyer. It couldinclude payment account information. Some information may be encryptedor delivered in part to maintain privacy. In one scenario, a sufficientamount of information is communicated to provide the user with enoughinformation to confirm that the proper user is identified, as well asthe proper town 1773. A type of shipping can also be displayed 1773.With the communication of preliminary information, the total amount tobe charged can be calculated and presented to the user prior to the userclicking on any buy button. The browser/user interface payment requestAPI is an appropriate communication channel to receive, via the browseror user interface, the basic data needed to arrive at the state of theuser interface. The trigger for when the browser submits a paymentrequest calls to the browser API for information could be the state ofthe navigation on the site. Thus, rather than triggering a paymentrequest based on the user clicking a buy button, the site couldrecognize that a user has placed an item in a shopping cart, and whenthe user clicks on a functional button that reveals the shopping cart,which interaction would occur before a buy interaction, the system couldsubmit a payment request such that no buy button needs to be pressed onthe interface. One or more of the following parameters could be includedin an analysis to determine when to initiate a payment request or callto a browser API for one or more pieces of information associated withthe potential purchase: machine learning tools or information about userhabits, an analysis of previous interactions of the user and buyinghabits of the user, the configuration of the website, the time of day,the type of product that potentially could be purchased, social mediainformation such as birthdays of friends and family, location of wherethe user is navigating the site, type of device that the user is usingsuch as a desktop, laptop, or mobile phone, and so forth. Any one ormore of this data could be analyzed to determine when to initiate a callto the browser API separate from the user clicking on a buy button. Asnoted, by initiating the call based on a state of the navigation ratherthan a user clicking a buy button, an interaction can be removed suchthat to make a purchase. The user doesn't need to both click on a buybutton and press a fingerprint reader.

Also shown in the interface 1779 is an option for the user to change theinformation that is presented. Typically, users will have particularpatterns which they will use over and over, such as choosing groundshipping. Thus, in many scenarios, the information provided in the userinterface which indicates that the user can buy now with a fingerprint1775 enables the user to truly have a single touch purchasing experiencewhere the single touch not only indicates the intent to purchase butalso provide the fingerprint authorization. Of course the fingerprintauthorization could also be provided on the touch sensitive screen 1779,if it was so configured. As the use of the fingerprint button 1777 isoutside of the browser, the device 1771 may communicate the touch to thesite indicating that the user has provided the intent to purchase aswell as the fingerprint authorization. At this point, the system couldproceed to create the various tokens or encrypted data necessary toreturn an encrypted token and payment data back to the site forprocessing the payment.

Where the system might want to include devices such as a laptop withouta fingerprint sensor and a coordinated mobile device having afingerprint sensor, that configuration could be communicated to the sitesuch that the appropriate information can be provided from the mobiledevice, through the wireless interface, to the laptop or other device,and then to the site such that the preliminary information provided andshown in FIG. 17H can enable the browser on the laptop to instruct theuser in notice 1775 that to make the purchase the user simply canprovide the fingerprint identification on the mobile device. The stepthat is removed in this scenario is a requirement of the user to click abuy now button within a browser on the device. Thus, the interface 1779can be dynamic depending on whether the user requires a single devicefor fingerprint authorization, or multiple devices. A dynamic buy buttoncan be presented based on a detected browser type or user paymentaccount type. If a single device is used, the notice 1775 can simplyinstruct the user to provide their fingerprint on finger print sensor1777 to make a purchase. If multiple devices are used, the notice 1775can instruct the user to simply provide the fingerprint authenticationon their second device. A display can also be provided on the seconddevice to coordinate the information and confirm that by touching thefingerprint identification button on the second device, the user isbuying the top hat shown on the first device. By providing thiscoordination between the merchant site, the first device, and the seconddevice, the payment process can eliminate one interaction. This processcan make the purchase a true one click purchase experience.

The following example illustrates the point made above. Assume the userhas been navigating and selecting several items for purchase from a siteand has placed those items in a shopping cart. Assume three items havebeen placed in the shopping cart and the user desires to now checkout.The user clicks on a “view shopping cart” button. That button can causethe system to initiate a call to the browser API, which can retrieve oneor more pieces of information such that the user can be presented withthe three items in the shopping cart, identification of a paymentaccount, such as a visa, an identification of a shipping address andshipping method and instructions to simply provide the fingerprintauthorization for the purchase. There really is no need for a buy buttonat this stage. Of course options can be presented for the user to editthe information or change the payment account and so forth. Machinelearning or other intelligence can be utilized to prioritize whichpayment account the user is likely to use. For example, a businesscredit card may be presented based on one or more factors, such as thelocation where the user is making the purchase, the kind of purchase,the time of day, and so forth.

The machine learning algorithm can also be applied to other types ofinterfaces such as a spoken dialog interface. Speech related models havebeen developed in the past with respect to dialog management in general.The additional concepts disclosed herein is to utilize machine learningto dynamically modify or present the payment process as part of any kindof user interface. The payment process might be a spoken dialog,graphical, multimodel, near-field communication, mobile-based,desktop-based, and so forth. For example, in a messenger applicationwhich includes a text component and a spoken component, the balance ofwhat is presented as a text or a message and what is spoken or visualcan be selected or determined by machine learning models. A spokendialog might select what to say, how to say it, what voice to use (male,female, accent, etc.), whether to switch from one voice to another, andso forth, based on what type of interaction will not only be easier fora user, with less friction, but also what might increase conversions andthe completion of the payment process. Plus, voices might be associatedwith particular payment services, such as from Apple or Google. Thechoice of dialog, volume, tone, accent, payment service, optionspresented, can be based on historical data, machine learning data, andother data such as history of purchases, user preferences and so forth.Utilizing such an approach can enable the payment process to differ fromperson to person in such a way as to enhance the individual userexperience with the purchasing process. No longer will everyone bepresented with the same set of input fields or the same PayPal button.The very point of committing to make a purchase and authorizing thepurchase can be tailored to the individual. That personalized approachcan also be offered across different platforms and sites such that theuser will have a consistent experience. The browser API could pass tothe site some data associated with how the user historically hasexperienced a checkout or can pass user parameters, or any other data toinstruct the site to improve the process. For example, in a normallygraphical user interface experience, one user might have a 30% increasedlikelihood of finalizing a purchase if an audible comment is made when abuy button is presented, such as “Mary, thank you for coming to oursite. We're set to use Apple Pay for you”. A dialog could be added tothe graphical experience to step people through the process and makethem more comfortable. Tutorials, graphics, video, chattingopportunities, and so forth could all be a part of the paymentexperience and managed to be presented in a dynamic fashion for eachuser.

Multi-Site Site Shopping Cart

Referencing the shopping cart above brings up another aspect of thisdisclosure, shown in FIG. 17I. The configuration of system 1701 and thisfigure represents the user navigating to multiple sites 1703, 1705, 1707for shopping. We first note that if the user is shopping at a singlesite such as Amazon.com and places a number of items in the shoppingcart, the user can view that shopping cart and with one click purchasemultiple items within the cart. However, even using the browser API, ifthe user navigates to multiple different sites to make purchases, theuser has to make multiple one click purchases to purchase three items.For example, if the user bought a first item from site 1 (1703) and asecond item from site 2 (1705) and the third item from site 3 (1707),then the user would have to make three clicks for purchasing because ofthe separate nature of these sites. The following is an approach toeliminate a number of clicks when making purchases across multiplesites. An aspect of this disclosure is to use the browser API to storeitems placed in the shopping cart. Another aspect involves storing dataacross a universal shopping cart with a search engine or search entitysuch that a single checkout for purchases made via different modes (suchas a shopping cart filled with one item from a web search and anotheritem from a spoken dialog with a dialog system to fill the cart withanother item). The search entity or entity managing a checkout from auniversal cart can charge the merchants for managing the checkout. Forexample, where multiple merchants have products in a universal cart, theentity managing the checkout can charge each merchant a portion of thefee for managing the payment process. In the case of a search entity,the search entity may not charge for advertising with the merchants butmay only charge for purchases made through a universal shopping cart.

For example, assume the user is at site 1 and places a toaster in thevirtual shopping cart. An option could be presented to the user to placethe toaster in a browser shopping cart. This may be a separate buttonfor interaction with the user from a normal shopping cart which remainsat the site, or could be integrated in with the standard site button forplacing an item in a shopping cart. If such is the case, the system maynotify the user, as they transition from site 1, that the toaster isplaced in a browser shopping cart. In any event, the browser 1711 willreceive through the browser API 1709 all the necessary informationassociated with the toaster. The information may be passed through thebrowser API if the user abandons the shopping cart prior to making thepurchase, which process could be modified via user setting. In thisrespect, the browser shopping cart becomes persistent across navigationto multiple sites. Assume next that the user navigates to site 2 andplaces a cookbook in a virtual shopping cart in a similar manner. Thatinformation is communicated through the browser API 1709 and stored in asite 2 shopping cart. Assume the user does not buy the cookbook yet.Next, assume that the user is on site 3 and adds a pencil to theirvirtual shopping cart. At this point, assume that the user clicks on a“view shopping cart” button. In this scenario, that interaction cantrigger a call to the browser API 1709 which can retrieve the toaster insite's 1 shopping cart and the cookbook in site's 2 shopping cart, andpresent those items with the pencil in a shopping cart while the user isat site 3. A buy button can be presented enabling the user to purchaseall three items at once. As can be appreciated, this process haseliminated at least two clicks from the traditional way of purchasingmultiple items across different sites. Once the user confirms payment,each respective site gets paid their portion of the overall payment. Thebrowser or other entity can process, for example, a $105 payment inwhich the first site gets paid $30, the second site gets paid $50 andthe third site gets paid $25 for the respective items, shipping costs,taxes, etc. Any approach disclosed herein for managing the purchase canbe utilized, such as, a notification on an interface that a fingerprintinteraction can purchase all the items. Options can be presented fordifferent items to be shipped to two different locations, and so forth.Machine learning, historical information, or other analyses andalgorithms can be utilized to predict addresses, payment accounts,shipping options, and so forth, in order to reduce the number ofinteractions or simplify the process for the user. A network service,via an API or other means, such as a search engine, search entity, orother service, could also provide the functionality for a multi-siteshopping cart experience. For example, a network service can store in ashopping cart items from one site accessed by a first device and asecond item from a second site accessed by a second device, using asimilar or different interface modalities, and then process a paymentfor all items in the cart at once. Sites can register with the serviceand claims can be drawn to the service, the browser, the shopping cartmodel and to the merchant processing. By utilizing a browser API for thepurpose of processing the payments, the system can alleviate the need ofthe user to login to a shopping cart extension or provide payment andaddress information to a separate shopping cart extension. The universalshopping cart disclosed herein can utilize the browser API to eliminatethe need of the user to give their payment information and addressinformation to yet another entity. When an entity like a search entitystores the payment/address data, it can provide a payment process andapply the payment to items in the shopping cart.

It is noted that the browser API and communication with any respectivemerchant will harmonize capable payment processes for the merchantrelative to the types of payments that the user utilizes. Thisdisclosure recognizes that the persistent shopping cart across multiplesites could result in different payment capabilities across the sitesrelative to the user abilities. All of these differences are resolved inthis process, whether at the browser, or coordinating with otherservices or entities. In other words, site 1 may only take Visa, whilesite 2 may only take MasterCard. Site mode 3 may take Apple Pay. Assume,in this case, that the user has a stored Visa card, a stored MasterCard,as well as an Apple Pay account. The combined shopping cart can presentto the user a confirmation that an entity has coordinated all of theuser's available payment mechanisms and assigned them to the appropriaterespective site such that the single click interaction will cause a visapayment to be made to site 1, a MasterCard payment to be made from site2 and an Apple Pay payment to be made to site 3. Each respective processcan utilize the browser API, a search entity, or other network-basedservice, to accomplish the respective payments, generation of tokenswhere necessary, and so forth. Discounts can be built in for respectivepurchase, coupons, refunds, etc. Other mechanisms could also be providedby a service that, for a small service fee, charges the Visa card or anyother single payment mechanism provided by the user and processes theother payments to the other respective merchants. In one aspect, asingle tokenized payment can be transmitted to a payment processor forhandling all the respective payments amongst the different sites.

FIG. 17I represents any and all types of communication, requests, calls,responses, and so forth which can be utilized for providing a persistentshopping cart across different sites using a browser API. In some cases,the browser or device upon which the browser is functioning maycommunicate with a server 1713 to store information, retrieveinformation, analyze data, retrieve encrypted payment data ortokenization data, and so forth. The server 1713, may also, as part ofthe process, communicate directly with any of the sites from whichshopping cart items are stored. Payment data, any other data orcommunication can occur between the server 1713 and a respective site.The shopping cart data can be encrypted or tokenized for a single use,or otherwise provided with security measures. This aspect of thedisclosure represents an enhanced utilization of the original browserAPI, which enables a persistent shopping cart to be maintained acrossmultiple sites that are navigated for shopping.

In another aspect, the browser 1711 to simply represent a network-basedservice that utilizes an API 1709 and functions in the same manner. Dataof products placed within a shopping cart can be communicated throughAPI calls in any number of different stages of the process. For example,the merchant site could set up different scenarios for when to transferthe shopping cart information through the API. Information to betransferred as soon as a person places an item in a shopping cart or assoon as they click on a buy button. In some scenarios, there may notnecessarily be a “shopping cart” but merely data associated with aproduct in the process of being purchased. For example, between the timesomeone clicks on an “Apple Pay” button and the time in which theyprovide a fingerprint to confirm the purchase, the data could beprovided to an API for storing and later access. The service couldcharge the merchant a certain amount, if the user later purchases thatproduct because it is produced in a persistent shopping cart, and thusbrought back to their attention.

Currently, much advertising on, for example, social media involvespresenting advertisements to users in their newsfeed based on otherwebsite navigation. Users may browse for a toaster, but never even putit into a shopping cart or get close to the mode of making a purchase.An advertisement for that toaster is then later presented on theirnewsfeed which can result in the conversion. Another aspect of thisdisclosure is to add such items to the shopping cart disclosed herein.Thus, if the user had searched for a toaster but never even place one ashopping cart, rather than later advertising that toaster on a socialnetworking page, one aspect can involve placing that toaster in theirshopping cart such that later on when they're making a purchase ofanother item in the shopping cart, they can see the toaster and make oneclick to purchase the other item, as well as the toaster. There may be auser interaction as well to confirm that the toaster should be purchasedwith the other item. Options can be presented to delete the toaster fromthe shopping cart or hold it for a later purchase. Thus, the shoppingcart becomes a more dynamic environment in which items can be purchasedin aggregate and thus simplifying the process. In another aspect, aposting on a social media site for the toaster, when interacted with,could transition the user not to the merchant site but to their shoppingcart with that item contained therein with other items from themulti-site shopping cart. In other words, a selectable object on anadvertisement or posting could cause a transition to a multi-siteshopping cart to include the item advertised as well as other items theuser has placed in shopping carts.

Another aspect involves aggregating accounts. For example, some couplesshare an amazon.com account such that purchases made by eitherindividual can be seen in the purchase history. If items are stored in ashopping cart, each individual can see the item stored by the otherindividual. Another principle that can apply in the present case wouldbe to combine shopping carts based on any number of factors. Forexample, prior to this disclosure, if a husband shopped on merchant sitenumber one in place an item in a shopping cart, and his wife shopped onmerchant site number two and placed the second item in a shopping cart,there was no mechanism of combining those two items into a persistentshopping cart. Accordingly, whether by linking to computers, oraccounts, or based on a payment account used, or any other number offactors, such as user preferences, individuals can combine theirseparate shopping cart items into an aggregated shopping cart. Thus, aslinked users shop and places items across multiple sites, they both willbe able to view the aggregated shopping cart and can make a purchase ofthose items. Further, the users may have different permissions such aschildren can add items but only parents can make the purchase.

FIG. 17J illustrates a method aspect of the system disclosed in FIG.17I. The method includes receiving, via a browser shopping cart API, ora first device, a first shopping cart information package from a firstsite (1715) and receiving, via the browser API, or via a second device,a second shopping cart information package from a second site (1717).The method includes, upon the user requesting a view of a shopping cart,communicating the first shopping cart information package and the secondshopping cart information package via the browser API to a site (if theuser is navigating at a site) or a browser interface (if the user is attheir browser requesting the shopping cart) (1719), and receiving anindication of a desire to purchase the items in the shopping cart(1721). The shopping cart information packages can include theinformation necessary to identify the item that's in the shopping cartfrom the respective site, identification of the site, and/or anidentification of any other parameters selected by the user, such as ashipping address for that item, a payment account associated with thatitem, whether it is a gift, whether it should be giftwrapped, shippinginstructions, and so forth. Other items that can be included andcommunicated via the API could be videos, images, comments, comparisons,reviews, and/or links to any such information. The necessary protocolsfor providing images, videos or other branding material can be includedwithin the modified browser API, which provides for the persistentshopping cart. While the user is navigating at any respective site, theuser can make such selections and decisions and that information is partof the shopping cart information package that can be communicated viathe browser API to the browser for storage and later retrieval.Different devices can be used to access different sites throughdifferent modalities as well, and products from each site canrespectfully be included in a shopping cart for a single purchaseprocess for multiple products, from one or more sites.

The concept also covers determining whether a user desires a localshopping cart view or a multi-site shopping cart view. A user may be on,via use of a first device, a site putting a number of items in the localsite shopping cart. Options or an object could be presented as part ofviewing the local shopping cart to add the other products stored in thebrowser API shopping cart. The options may be dynamic based on userhabits, cost of products in the local cart compared to the overall costof the browser products were included, social media data, and so forth.The local site, when the user proceeds to view a shopping cart, couldinitiate a call through the API (to the browser or a network-basedentity) to determine if other items are waiting or stored in the browsershopping cart. If so, the site could present the selectable object to“add browser products” or the like to the shopping cart to enable theuser to purchase all the items together. Brief information about theitems could be provided as well. For example, if the user has a toasterand a toothbrush in their browser shopping cart, the merchant couldprovide an object which ask the user to “add your toaster and toothbrushto this cart” or a buy button could be modified to indicate thatpurchasing the item at the local site can also result in processing apurchase of the other browser shopping cart products. Two buy buttonscould be presented in this case, one for just buying the local siteproduct(s) and another for one-click purchasing of the local site plusthe browser stored products. The purchase could occur through a paymentrequest type of API or managed via a search entity using payment relatedinformation stored with the search entity or other entity.

In one aspect, the user could retrieve the shopping cart from thebrowser via the browser API or from a network service. Inasmuch as theuser has payment information stored at the browser or accessible via thebrowser, the browser could include an option, via an interactive buttonor via a drop-down menu to view their shopping cart. A dynamic objectcould be presented only when there are items in a shopping cart toremind the user that they have stored items. In other words, on a topinterface of a browser, a “view shopping cart” option can be presentedonly when there are items in the shopping cart. When the user clicks onthe object, the shopping cart can be presented with all of the availableoptions for choosing shipping addresses, payment accounts, and so forth.FIG. 17K illustrates a persistent browser-based shopping cart interface1721. As the browser has access to the payment information, the usercould make the purchase right from the browser. Access to the shoppingcart can also be provided through a social media posting or menu, or anylocation where the user navigates or spends time. For example, if theuser has items in the shopping cart, that information could becommunicated through an API to a social media network, such as Facebook,and a posting could be generated on a user's newsfeed which provides anobject with which the user can interact to access their shopping cartfor making the final purchase. Such an object can be presented on anysocial media site and would be configured according to how the userinteracts with that site, as well as any ancillary services such asFacebook messenger, texting, and so forth. Triggers can be incorporatedinto the process such that such a posting or notification is providedunder certain circumstances, such as length of time that items have beenin the shopping cart relative to an upcoming birthday, or any othercombination of factors which can be utilized to trigger such a notice tothe user. Spoken dialog systems can be utilized as well.

The timing of transmission from any respective site to the browser canalso be dynamic. For example, if a user at site 1 places several itemsin a shopping cart, and then simply purchases those items, there may beno need to communicate a package of information through the browser APIto the browser for those items. However, if the user, places severalitems in the shopping cart, but then abandons the shopping cart or doesnot complete the purchase, and transitions from the site, then aninformation package can be communicated such that those items aremaintained in a universal shopping cart. User preferences might beimplemented to prevent this from occurring automatically or to requirean interaction to confirm the transfer of the data package. In oneregard, this approach can to some degree solve the problem of abandonedshopping carts even with a one or two click purchasing option as hasbecome available through the browser/user interface payment request API.This approach enhances the use of the browser API or a network servicesuch as a search entity to maintain a more persistent shopping cartexperience such that abandoned shopping carts may not be completelyabandoned, but the user may view the cart at a later time with thoseitems again, in a shopping cart with a simplified purchasing processwhich can increase the probability that the user will make the purchaseof the items upon the second or third view. This disclosure alsoincludes any other objects or manipulation opportunities for users tomanage the browser persistent shopping cart. For example, any objectspresented which the user can interact with to remove items from theshopping cart, add items to the shopping cart, maintain the items of theshopping cart for a particular period of time, drop items of theshopping cart after a period of time such as two weeks, and so forth.

FIG. 17K illustrates various items in the persistent shopping cart. Thetoaster from site1.com is shown at 1723, with a remote control car fromsite2.com 1725 and towels from site3.com 1727. These sites can beaccessed through different devices as well. A “continue shopping” object1729 it is also shown as well is the pay now button 1731. Again, theadvantage of this approach is that via the one pay now enter action1731, the system will carry out (1) a payment using the Visa card tosite1.com (such as by sending a token or the necessary paymentinformation, as well as other information through the browser API tosite1.com), (2) a payment using the MasterCard to site2.com for theremote control car and (3) a payment site3.com using Apple pay for thetowels. Of course, a total amount can be shown for all of the purchases,as well as other options for deleting the purchase, changing the numberof items, and so forth. Where such individual manipulations take place,the browser shopping cart API can communicate with the respective sitein order to update the total amount charged based on the number ofitems, or a change to the shipping address or shipping instructions.Thus, the interface 1721 can include any such objects to enable the userto make the appropriate changes and adjustments to each individual orderat which point, when the user pays, all of the various paymentmechanisms can be implemented. Usually, a merchant site initiates a callthrough the browser API for payment data. Under a later purchase madethrough a shopping cart model, the browser may initiate a call to themerchant site informing them that the user has purchased one of theiritems. The call may include identification information to reference theearlier search of the user for the item on the site and initiate thenecessary communication via the API for the payment data to betransmitted and processed. In one aspect, a separate local orInternet-based service could provide one unified payment from the userand then the service could, based on the information about eachpurchase, make a payment to each individual vendor or merchant.

In another aspect, the user can place a first toaster 1723 in thepersistent shopping cart 1721 from site 1 and then find a differenttoaster from site 2. Both toasters being placed in the shopping cartcould cause the system to identify that similar items have been placedin the cart, and that the user may desire a comparison analysis. In thisregard, when the user retrieves the persistent shopping cart with bothtoasters, the shopping cart could present some comparable informationbetween the exact two items. This is a very easy location with which toprovide such comparisons because at this state of interaction with theuser, the user could then simply choose one of the items and delete thenon-selected item from the shopping cart and proceed with the purchaseprocess. Further, from the persistent browser shopping cart, links canbe provided for options to “continue shopping” at each respective site.This process can eliminate and simplify the shopping experience acrossmultiple sites.

A service could also provide an analysis of the various items in theshopping cart and provide suggestions or upgrades accordingly. Forexample, if a user buys plates from one site and glasses from anothersite, or a suit from one site and a tie from another site, the systemcould analyze the items within this coordinated shopping cart andprovide suggestions and advertisements for alternate items or items thatmight better match each other, upgrades, alternate colors, and so forth.

The browser could also store the history of the items purchased forlater retrieval and processing, such as selecting to return an item orfollowing its shipping progress. In this regard, after a purchase ismade, the information could be communicated through the browser API andstored for later retrieval from the browser or via an object on a site,social media interface, app, and so forth as disclosed herein.

Another aspect includes integrating a shopping cart with other productsearches beyond products placed in shopping carts. For example, if auser navigates to Amazon.com on a desktop computer or target.com via avoice-based device and looks or orders at a toaster, but does not placethe toaster in a shopping cart but merely views, at some level, dataabout a toaster that could be bought (it could include putting it into ashopping cart), then one current process that exists is presenting anAmazon advertisement in a newsfeed featuring that toaster. Theadvertisements enable the user to have another opportunity to purchasethe item. In the present scenario, this concept is extended such thatany user interaction with the product, whether it be physically,virtually online, in a virtual reality environment, and so forth, couldcause the system to generate a shopping cart entry for that item. Aservice could retrieve the information about which products the userserved for or viewed and generate a most likely product which the userwould like to buy. Then, when the user views their multi-site shoppingcart, that item could be listed and easily bought with one click eitherindividually or in an aggregated way with other items. Inasmuch as suchitems were never put into a shopping cart by the user, additionalinteractions could be presented such as a selectable object which theuser can click on to formally place the item in the shopping cart forpurchase. In another aspect, the item could be placed in the shoppingcart in a preconfigured state such that clicking on the buy buttonwithin the shopping cart will cause the purchase to be made for thatitem, as well as any other items in the shopping cart. A threshold couldbe set for when such an item is placed within the shopping cart. Forexample, machine learning could be utilized to determine parameters suchas how deeply the user searched and studied the item, how much time theuser spent on the item, how many reviews the user read, whether the usercompared the item to other similar items, and so forth. In thisscenario, once that threshold is met, then the system would create anentry for the user's shopping cart featuring the item. In anotherscenario, if two similar items were searched, the system could presentboth items with comparison data within the shopping cart enabling theuser to review the comparison information, click on the selected item,such that the next click or next interaction could literally be apurchase of the selected item with any other items within the shoppingcart.

The shopping cart disclosed herein can be integrated within a websitesuch that no extension needs to be logged into or clicked on to utilizethe features. No separate registration of payment data or an addressneeds to occur within a shopping cart extension. The universal shoppingcart can operate without a selectable object on a browser interface toactivate the cart. Sites may register, for example, with a search engineto be able to coordinate a universal shopping cart model such that itemscan be placed in the universal cart across different devices and acrossdifferent merchants and difference devices. Shopping can occur from adevice, within an assistant application, via a voice-based device, via abrowser, via a vehicle-based device, a watch, and so forth. Theuniversal cart can span these various modes of interaction withmerchants and be coordinated by a network-based system. The searchentity can then process payment of multiple items for one or moremerchants in the same universal cart using stored payment data. This canbe done through the browser API disclosed herein or an API or othertechnology managed by the search entity. An item can be placed in ashopping cart from a web search on a first device, followed by anotheritem placed in the cart from a voice dialog via a second device. Theuser can checkout once for both items through a unified purchasingprocess using the browser API or a search entity-based process in whichdata stored with the search entity is applied to purchase the pluralityof items. Each merchant can be paid and then ship the respective items.The search entity can charge the merchant(s) for using the universalshopping cart at the time of purchase.

Other concepts related to a universal shopping cart include providingdata to website from the shopping cart—i.e., items in cart, demographicdata, to improve the site search or presentation—which can modify theuser shopping experience. For example, if site2 knows that a toasterfrom site1 is in the universal shopping cart, the navigation results orsearch results or presented items for the user at site2 can be modifiedto improve the user experience. Next, we note again that the use of anAPI can be in both directions. For example, the user buys an item in ashopping cart and a package of information is passed through the API tothe website with one or more of an object, a token, payment information,address information, registration information, login in formation,product information, size data, etc. to initiate the whole transactionfrom the browser API. This is what would happen if you had left awebsite but had an item placed in a shopping cart.

A method can include identifying a first item that can be purchased fromthe first site based on user navigation, but the first item is notpurchased. This can be done within the normal standard navigation of thesite. The method includes receiving a transition of data associated withthe first item (which can be over an API to a browser, an extension, orto a network service). For example, the W3C browser API includes a“displayItems” member and/or the “additionalDisplayItems” that are partof a PaymentDetailsBase dictionary that is an optional feature forproviding details of products or a breakdown of taxes and shipping. Thebrowser API could be modified such that the site could pass productdetails at any time during the navigation process to a shopping cart forlater retrieval. The triggering of transmitting the data about a productcan be at any number of navigation states or stages between an initialsearch and a completed purchase. For example, if the user has a browserAPI interface presented but they do not complete the transaction, thesite can pass the product data to the browser for storage and laterretrieval. Assume the user then navigates to a second site via the samedevice or via a completely separate device which can also include adevice with a voice-based or other type of user interface. The methodincludes identifying a second item that can be purchased from the secondsite based on user navigation, the second item being placed in ashopping cart, transmitting information about the first item to theshopping cart, receiving a confirmation via user interaction with apurchasing object to buy the first item and the second item,communicating purchasing information to the first site for processingthe purchase of the item and communicating payment data to the secondsite for processing a purchase of the second item. The communication caninclude communication between a browser API with information to initiatea purchase at the first site of the first product. For example, thebrowser API could transmit data to the first site to place the firstsite in a state as though the user had navigated to the point ofpurchasing the first item and clicking on a purchase button. Normally,that interaction would cause the first site to initiate a paymentrequest through the browser API to the browser for the paymentinformation. However, in the above scenario, the user has left the firstsite that the information about the first item is retained in theshopping cart. Accordingly, to facilitate the purchase of the firstitem, the improvement includes expanding the use of a browser API toinitiate the purchase of a product through transmitting the informationthrough the API to the first site. In this aspect, the first site wouldthen initiate a payment request to the browser API, to retrieve thepayment data, address data, and so forth and complete the purchase anddelivery of the product in the normal fashion. Additional communicationmay need to be exchanged in order to make this happen. The package ofinformation sent to the first site can trick it into thinking that auser has navigated to the first item and hit the “buy” button. Theinformation can cause the merchant site to initiate the payment requestAPI request back to the browser to ask for payment information forprocessing a payment of the product. The package of information could besent when the user opens the shopping cart. Such that timing wise, whenthe user clicks on the ‘buy” button with a first item from a first siteand a second item from a second site, both sites basically have a stateas though the user had navigated to the point of viewing the respectiveitem with a buy button for processing the purchase. However, theshopping cart buy button can be linked to these two different statessuch that when the user does hit the buy button, both sites send apayment request through browser API for processing the payment based onthe single click. The plug in for the shopping cart can disambiguate orpresent any other interaction information necessary for processing thepayment. For example, if one website requires Apple Pay, the shoppingcart can simply ask for the user's fingerprint for the payment but doesnot have to identify that it is for one particular product purchase.

In another aspect, the browser coordinating with the shopping cart cansend a package of data that includes payment capabilities for the user,a payment token, payment data, address data, product data, price, etc.,such that the first site can finalize the purchase and delivery theproduct. This approach represents an expansion of the capabilities ofthe browser API concept. In one aspect, based on the user's initialnavigation at the first site, the lack of purchase of an item of thefirst site, the first site can generate a transaction ID, which istransmitted through the API to the shopping cart management system(which can be a plug in or an extension for a browser or a third partynetwork-based service). This transaction ID can later be used in pastback to the first site with the payment data, address data, and anyother data, such as a one-time use token, to remember the item andprocess a purchase of the item for the user.

Other aspects include tracking the location of phone for products likesitting in a chair at Staples and once you get a threshold interactionwith a product that indicates an interest, providing details about theproduct in the persistent shopping cart. As you surf the web, once youhit that threshold, like reading reviews of a product, or spending acertain amount of time on a product page, the information can beforwarded to a service that includes a product ID, merchant ID, timing,personal information, cost, discounts, etc. for placing that item in ashopping cart even when the user is at another site.

The network device disclosed herein that can be used for managingmultiple items placed within a universal shopping cart can coordinatethe universal shopping cart across the various devices used by the user.For example, a search entity can identify a first product put into theshopping cart from a first browser search on a mobile device and thenidentify the user using a voice instruction on a second device toidentify a second product to put into the shopping cart. The user canthen purchase both products on either device or at any time. The systemcan identify the user through voice identification or through othermeans to connect the items as being part of the same user shopping cart.The voice based device can already be associated with a particularpayment account or can adjust to different payment accounts based onvoice identification. For example, a user at home might put a firstproduct in a universal shopping cart from a desktop computer and then goto a friend's house. Through social networking data or speech/voiceidentification, the user could talk to the voice based device at theirfriends house, which could confirm their identity by asking “Is thisMary Smith?”, at which point the user could add another item to theshopping cart via a voice command and make the purchase of all theitems. Social media data or preferences could connect Mary topotentially using her friend's voice-based device for purchases. Aseparate biometric confirmation could be provided in these scenarios aswell to confirm the purchase is from the proper person. In one example,when Mary goes to her friend's house, a voice-based device or otherdevice can identify her through her mobile phone. Geo-location data canalso be provided based on Mary's location. Based on this data, avoice-based device through a search entity can be configured topotentially expect that Mary may make a shopping request at her friend'shome through the voice-based device. Speech recognition models, speakeridentification models, or any other speech related pre-configurationsthat might need to occur can be initiated on a network basis ortransferred to the local voice-based device, or both. Thus, when Marysays to the voice-based device, “Please add paper towels to my shoppingcart,” the system can recognize Mary's voice, interpret the speech usinga tailored speech recognition model, and respond with “OK Mary, thepaper towels are in your shopping cart with the salt and pepper shakersto added yesterday, do you want to check out?”. She can then make asingle purchasing transaction for all the items in her shopping cartfrom her friend's voice-based interface device. To confirm the purchase,the system may ask Mary to provide a fingerprint authentication whichcan be coordinated via the network system. It can be similar to a NFCpayment experience as well. The voice-based device might have a NFCcapability and to confirm the purchase, Mary would simply move her phonenear the voice-based device and provide a fingerprint to complete thepurchase of all the items. The data provided to the voice-based devicewould be similar to what is provided at a NFC device at a retailer whenApple Pay or Google Pay is used. The user would move their device closeto the voice-based device and the payment interface would pop up askingfor a finger print or facial recognition. In this manner, users couldcomplete shopping or initiate shopping easily at a friend's home or at adevice at a different location from their home location, but using thesame simple interface. All of the necessary communication to and fromthe network system (such as the search entity managing the paymentprocess), can occur between the voice-based device and the system toenable Mary to order an item, have it included in her shopping cart andcheck out.

There could also be an NFC tag on a product or object that the user'smobile device can interact with to cause a browser to launch and presenta user interface to pay, rent or perform some other function. The devicecould also write data to the NFC tag as well.

If Mary did not have her phone with her, the voice-enabled device mayhave a fingerprint reader on it as well that Mary could use to“register” at the device. Facial recognition or any other mechanismcould be used as well. Once identified at the device, it can become asthrough it was her device for the purpose of her universal shoppingcart. Devices can be positioned at restaurants, shops, or at anylocation for similar purposes. If multiple people are at a friend'shouse, multiple profiles can be added to the voice-enabled device atthat location such that any person of the group can talk to the deviceand have it adjust to their profile, their universal shopping cart, andso forth, even though the people do not live at that location. Thedevice may also not have any pre-configured data based on knowledge thatthe person is at the location. The system may just identify the user bytheir voice when they speak to the voice-based device.

The concepts disclosed herein can also work for physical malls. Peoplecould do two things. In one case, users just shop and put items in theirphysical shopping bag. The users would not check out at individualstores but just go from store to store. One checkout for all the storescould be used for all the items together with one payment. The checkoutcould be at an exit or on their own phone, via a bar code reader orother identifier of the products which can combine them such that asingle click can process all payments.

Also, users could go to a physical store and peruse items for purchase.They could have a code reader on their phone and as they look atproducts they like, they could scan a code, or it could be automaticallyidentified through near field communication or some other wirelessprotocol. The user might not then actually take the item with them. Oncethey've gone to all the stores and looked at say 4 items in 4 differentstores, they can then pull up their shopping cart on their mobile deviceand see all those items placed in a shopping cart. They can thenone-click purchase and all the payments are processed for the respectivestores. The items could be brought to them as they leave the store, at acertain exit, such that notices to runners at each store in the mall totake the purchased item and deliver it to John at the East exit to themall, or they could be delivered to them at home so the user can justleave. The system could also track the movement of the buyer's mobiledevice and simply find them in the mall. A code could be used by therunner to confirm the right user is receiving the purchased products.The shopping cart can provide the option or code or other data. Timingexpectations can be provided to users for how long they have to wait.Perhaps the users could buy the items on their phone as they start towalk away to their car and given the tracking of their mobile device,which can provide geofencing information on which entrance they cameinto, the items they've purchased can be waiting for them at their exitwhen they get there. Runners can deliver the items to an identifiedlocker, the user based on location information of their phone, orlocation at their exit so they can just take the items home. Thisimproves the experience where users don't have to carry around all theitems they've purchased as they walk around the mall. Expected timing ofdelivering all the products could be provided. The user could click“buy” on their shopping cart and the system may predict a 10 minute timewhen all the products will be delivered to the user. It might increasethe number of items people would buy as well. From the single shoppingcart, the Browser/user interface payment request API can be used and aplugin could manage all the payments to the different stores. Users alsocould use Apple Pay or other payment mechanisms at each store as well,and the system could simply combine the purchased items into the“shopping cart” such that when the user leaves, they can indicate thatthey are leaving and they need delivery. Then the items can be gatheredand delivered to the user. The runner or runners can receive, via anapp, instructions on what items to get, from which stores, anidentification of the purchaser, and can easily gather up all the itemsand bring them to the purchaser.

In another aspect, by scanning items in a store using a mobile device,the system can evaluate an expected weight of a bag containing all theitems purchased from a store or stores. The weight could be added up,the user could place the bag of products on a scale and the purchasesfrom that user, identified by NFC data, Bluetooth data, or a scan at thescale, or other mechanisms, can confirm that the weight corresponds tothe group of items they purchased. If the weight was greater (or less) amanual check could be provided. This weighing of the products canfurther simplify the process of leaving the store. Multiple stores canbe shopped at and an exit to a mall can provide the weighing mechanism.A server would compare the weight of the items on the scale with theweight of items in their virtual shopping bag or the items they'vepurchased. The use of a payment mechanism could also correspond to theweighing process where they click on a pay button after the weightmatches their virtual shopping bag items. Thus, a timing element couldbe introduced in terms of when the payment button is presented after asuccessful weighing. It of course could come before or as the user buysitems. Then they are correlated for a weighing operation. Being browserbased, the user could navigate to the store or mall's website andinitiate the process of making purchases through scans. There is no needto download an app to accomplish the functionality when using thebrowser-based API's disclosed herein.

Individual products can also be configured with a UPC code or QR code orother feature which, after the sale and the product is out in use,others could scan the code, take picture of the product (clothing, bike,etc.) and match a product with accompanying size data, etc. and the usercan then purchase the product and have it delivered using mechanismsdisclosed herein. These can be built into the product and not on a tagthat is removable, as the idea here is to enable another person topurchase the same item upon viewing it with the original buyer. Forexample, a shirt might have a QR code sewn into a location or on apermanent tag. The code or image can cause the user device to access aURL, progressive web app, local app, or other entity and provide dataabout the product. After identifying the product and accessing theserver associated with the product, the user can be presented with a buynow button (their body size can already be sent, or they can choosetheir size). The presentation can be configured such that the serverdetermines the payment capabilities and API capabilities of the userdevice, browser, software module, etc., and configures a purchasingexperience accordingly. The user may scan the code (or other process) inone step, and be presented with an interface at a site via a browser,for example, configured with an image of the shirt or game or whateverthe product is, with the right size showing for that user, and with anApple Pay or Google Pay (other any other payment mechanism such asPaypal, Amazon Pay, crypto, etc.). The user can then just confirm thepurchase and it will be delivered to their home. The location of thecode could be on a sleeve, collar, or any location that is easy for afriend to access and scan. An NFC device could also be embedded into theproduct.

A merchant's store can be a distributed amongst all the purchasedproducts that are out in the world. If you like the shirt your friend iswearing, one could scan a code or take a picture of the shirt, or anymechanisms of identifying the product, match the user's size through abody model or selection of size, and the user could receive the productin the mail after an API-based payment. This could be done through anapp, a site, through photos on your mobile device which presentpurchasing options of items in the photos, etc. This concept expandsupon the idea of a mobile device used for in-store purchases to use of amobile device wherever the user is, and wherever they may see an itemthat they would like to purchase. When identifying a product, alternateproducts, colors, etc. could also be provided. You may love the shirt,but want a different color, once the user identifies the product,alternatives can be made readily available for purchase. One issue willbe that the friend will not know necessarily the store where the shirtor item was bought. The tag built into the item might identify aprogressive web app, URL, app, or other data to enable the user toconnect with the right network-based entity of identifying the properproduct and enabling the purchase. Aggregation sites might be used wherethe user could go to a single site, scan the code or take a picture ofthe product, and obtain the proper vendor and data to make the purchaseof the same product.

The system may also enable multiple stores to function as a group. Auser might be able to navigate to a localmall.com site which can turn onor access a group of stores in that mall such that the user can gothrough and scan items from any of the stores and do a single checkoutfor all the items at a mall exit. A scale can be provided at an exitwhich can coordinate the weights of all the products purchased. At agrocery store, a scale can cover an entire shopping cart and theproducts therein. The user may walk out and have the cart/products puton a floor-based scale to confirm the purchases made. This process canalleviate long check-out lines. In some cases, brick-and-mortar checkout schemes like Apple Pay and Google Pay would also be eliminated infavor of the browser-based API model described herein in that nocheckout point of sale would be needed.

In another aspect, the system can store the various products that havebeen perused on the various websites. As a user then enters a productinto a shopping cart, and option can be presented which populates theshopping cart with one or more of these other items from other sites.The system can strategically present this option. For example, if theuser had perused a toothbrush in the toaster on different web sites, butnow places a different toaster in a shopping cart, the system may onlyask if they would like to see the other toaster presented withcomparable information. If the user has a certain number of items thatthey have recently perused, the system may ask if they would like to seethe most recent three items added to their cart, or the items that theyspent the most time on reviewing, or the most expensive items, or anyother characterizations that the user might desire. This approach allowsthe user to control which items are added to their universal shoppingcart for a one click purchase of the group of items. Artificialintelligence and/or machine learning approaches can also be utilized tocharacterize user shopping and navigation history with respect to theirbuying habits such that the shopping cart could be populated with onlythose items having a threshold probability of the user actuallypurchasing. As has been noted above, the shopping cart can also involvemultiple users. Accordingly, multiple users group by family, friends,payment accounts, browser usage, or any other grouping can becoordinated such, for example, that if a parent opens a shopping cart,that items viewed by the children could be added to the shopping cartfor determining whether to purchase or not. Such a shopping cart canalso be a jumping off point for continued shopping at any respectivesite. For example, if the shopping cart includes three items from threedifferent sites, and the second item from the second site is a toasterbut not quite the right toaster, a selectable object can be presented tocontinue shopping at that site for similar products. The object can beconfigured to transition the user to a deep link in the second site withsearch results associated with the product in the shopping cart, butthat shows comparable products for continued perusal. In such ascenario, the persistent state could be maintained such that as the usertransitions to the second site for continued shopping, if the userchooses a separate toaster, the user could transition back to theshopping cart with the separate toaster replacing the initial toasterfor again single click purchase of a group of items.

One benefit of the approach disclosed herein is that users don't need toregister their payment information or address information with ashopping cart plug-in or service inasmuch as the browser API is utilizedfor the payment information. However, some of the other functionalitycould also be applied where the user registers payment information,address information, or any other information with the shopping cartplug-in or extension.

In one example, the process can work as follows from the standpoint of aserver associated with the store, or group of stores. The user walksinto a store with a mobile device, and accesses the server via a URL ona browser, app, or via an automatic interface presented via aconfirmation via Geo fencing or location-based service that the mobiledevice has entered the store. The browser or app can access a camera onthe mobile device such that the server can provide instructions tocontrol an interface to enable the user to walk around the store, andscan codes associated with the products that they desire to purchase. Asthe user scans codes, the codes are transmitted back to the server tofurther process the purchase of those products. As the user is ready tobuy the product or products, a payment process occurs using the browseras an agent and via browser-based APIs disclosed herein. Paymentinformation is thereby passed through the API to the store server toprocess the payment. Also, as disclosed herein, the system can enablethe user to choose between a network-based payment approach, which isaccessed via the browser API such that a service like PayPal, forexample, could be selected, the process the payment. Cryptocurrenciescould be used as well for payment as managed by the browser API. Anynumber of different payment approaches can be selected via the use ofthe browser API. Users may make purchases of individual products or thestore server may maintain a shopping cart of the various products toenable a single checkout process. In a scenario where a group of storesare coordinated, such as in the mall, the shopping cart can expand fromone store to another for a single checkout of products from multiplestores.

From the standpoint of the mobile device, a method can includereceiving, via a browser, a URL input from the user, which would causethe browser to establish communication with a store server. The mobiledevice receives instructions regarding how to manage an interface forthe user, which includes the browser accessing a camera feature on thedevice an interface for instructing the user to perform actions to scana code associated with each product they desire to purchase. The devicecan receive the image of the code which images transmitted via thecommunication link between the browser and the store server to the storeserver for processing. When the user is ready to buy the product or agroup of products in a shopping cart, the device or the browser on thedevice manages the payment process as disclosed herein, via abrowser-based API between the browser on the mobile device and the storeserver.

Codes could be retrieved by the mobile device in other ways beyond animage scan as well. For example, a small disposable component could beconfigured on each product that includes a battery and which can,through near field communication protocols, or other wireless protocols,transmit the basic data about the product, which would be the equivalentof an image scan of a code. In this way, rather than needing to align acamera with a code image associate with the product, the user would onlyneed to bring their mobile device in near proximity to the item and dataassociated with that item, and interface which enables the user toconfirm that they desire to purchase that product could be initiated.The small disposable component could include a small solar panel as wellwhich can help to power the component.

In another aspect, the system can manage and enhance the user experienceusing their mobile device, as they walk around a store. For example, byknowing a specific location of each product, or through location-basedservices, the interface provided by the store server can includeadvertisements, suggestions, or directions to other products in thestore. For example, if a user scans a code for a shirt, the system caninstruct the user that on the next aisle over, on the second shelf, is apair of pants that would match well with that shirt. The advertisementscould also be for a product or item in a different store which isnearby, or a different store in a group of stores, such as a mall.Instructions to go to a specific location, accessorizing suggestions,additional online purchasing options, and so forth can also be provided.For example, the person may be buying a pair of pants and a shirt, butthe ideal necklace or earrings or watch might not be at that particularstore. The store server could present an image of a product that couldbe associated with what the user is physically buying and put thatproduct as well in their shopping cart for home delivery. Thus, theshopping cart in this scenario could span physical items the user iscarrying as well as online purchased items as part of the same quoteshopping cart”. Machine learning algorithms can be implemented andtrained for providing such suggestions. Inventory supplies can also beaccessed to determine whether such products should be offered.

In yet another example, disclosed herein is the concept of providingbody model data via a browser-based API to a server. The approach canalso be utilized in this scenario, where a user walks into a store withtheir mobile device to make purchases. For example, as the user accessesthe URL of the store server, the browser can manage the communicationbetween the mobile device and the store server, and pass along bodymodel information to the store server. In this scenario, the storeserver can utilize data regarding the location of various sizes ofclothing, for example, and literally guide the user right to close thatwill fit them, according to the body model received. For example, theinterface for the user may indicate or provide a map of the store withhighlighted points, which indicate the sizes matching the user.Inventory can be also correlated such that if the user's size is notavailable at that time, the interface can enable the user to seeclothing styles in the store but order online for their personal size.Often, individuals are looking through a stack of pants, or a series ofshirts, of a style that they desire to purchase, but their particularsize is out of stock. Using these principles, the system will know asthe user enters the store that certain pants are out of stock and theserver can present an image to the user on their mobile device,indicating that this is the proper size for you and the one that you areholding (which the server can gain knowledge of by virtue of near fieldcommunication or the user scanning a code) is the wrong size. However,the user in this scenario can see the product and can then purchase theproduct online for the right size.

In this scenario, the user could walk into a clothing store, and see andtouch clothing that they may desire to buy, and if the user scans a codeof a piece of clothing, the system can also identify the size and theconfiguration of the clothing scanned and instruct the user regardinghow well such clothing will fit with their body model. Perhaps adifferent size in the store will fit better. If there is inventoryavailable, the store server can instruct the user that they should picka different size, and instruct them that there should be one in stock onthe shelf. If not, the store server can communicate with the browser ofthe mobile device that the pants they've chosen is not the best fit forthem and they can order right now online the better fitting pants whichwill be delivered to their house in two days. This all becomes possiblewith the communication of the body model to the store server. Thisprocess can also of course be available for body models of friends orfamily members of the individual, wherein a dialogue or graphicalinterface can be presented to enable the user was walk into a store topick a body model to transmit to the store server to help them purchaseclothing for their friend or family member. All of the description aboveapplies where, for example, the user passes a friends body model to thestore server, the store server can respond with instructions regardingclothing within the store that fits that body model, online offerings ofclothing that will fit better than physical products currently at thestore, and so forth. Audible instructions can also be provided to guidethe user to products that would fit appropriately. Similar concepts canalso apply for color selections, product selections, volume selections,food selections, and so forth outside of the clothing scenario. Forexample, in the food scenario, the user could select a recipe that theydesire to make an enter grocery store, and in this scenario, the recipecould be transmitted to the grocery store server and through the browseracting as an agent, the grocery store server can direct the user to notonly purchase the proper ingredients for the recipe but the proper sizesor number of items to make the recipe for a specified number ofindividuals. Thus, the general concept described above, involves theuser accessing a store server via a browser or app, and being guidedregarding the purchasing of products within the store, via theinterface, or via a spoken interface, and then being able to purchasethe products using the browser API payment process disclosed hereinwithout the need of going through a traditional physical check outprocess.

Additionally, data regarding current food supplies at a user's home canbe fed to a server. For example, a smart home system can be implementedwhich provides data regarding food storage that a person's home. Forexample, the system may identify that the user is low on milk, eggs,cheese and cereal. This data can be provided to a browser or anetwork-based service. For example, while the user is at home with theirmobile device, a system can periodically update their browser to containgrocery stock information for their home. This can be done throughWi-Fi, near field communication, or Bluetooth. The browser can beconfigured to be able to access the communication components of a mobiledevice and manage a process of retrieving updates of information whichcan then be used by store servers as a user physically goes to arespective store. Any kind of data is contemplated as being part of thisprocess. Then, as the user goes to a grocery store and accesses thegrocery store server for making purchases as described above via theirmobile device, the browser could pass a data package identifying theirgrocery stock information for their home. The system could then instructthe user or suggest to the user certain products, where they are, and/oramounts to enable the user to not forget or easily restock their grocerysupplies as needed.

To protect from fraud, video cameras, location-based ID, andcorrelations of purchases and inventory could identify where mismatchesexists and potentially identify shoplifters from that data. Instructionscould be provided to people of risk to require them to have a clerkconfirm their purchases. Users can generate or earn confidence scores asthey shop in these scenarios. If a user is suspected of shoplifting, andthe system requires a confirmation of their product purchases, they canincrease a confidence score or repair a confidence score. Suchinformation can be presented to the user as part of the interface suchthat they know to be honest in their purchasing decisions andactivities. For example, a confidence score can be presented to them,such as 9/10 or 5/10, with instructions to note that a clean purchasingexperience confirmed by a clerk or scale, or otherwise can cause theconfidence score to increase to 10/10. By granting a more efficientprocess to users with high confidence scores, the overall system canencourage honesty and reduce the amount of shoplifting. Further,shoppers experiences the different stores can be correlated in aconfidence score that can span any store or stores that utilize aservice.

Another aspect applies to utilizing an API to fill a cross-site shoppingcart in a different way. It relates to how users can have productinformation transmitted through the API or other mechanism from a siteto a browser or other location for storage, aggregation, presentationand payment/delivery processing. A site can have programming added tothe site to monitor searching and navigation of the user on the site fora determination of what products to send to an API. For example, if auser spends 20 seconds looking at a toaster, reading reviews, looking atpictures, and so forth, the system can determine that there is enoughinterest to send the product data through an API for storage with thebrowser or elsewhere. The API, for example, can have a syntax like“sendproductdata (product, UPC, Size, Time, Color, Size, price, taxes,token, rating, other).” This and any other data can be transmittedthrough the API and stored for later use for making the purchase. Atrigger for sending the data can be automatic or manual (such as theuser clicking on an object to send the data). As the user navigates tothe site, the site can send an API request to determine whether the APIis available for product information. If so, the site can utilize theAPI to send the product data for products that the user searches for. Ifthe user later purchases the product on the site, the product can beremoved from the browser product storage. The data can include anevaluation of a likelihood of the user desiring to later purchase theproduct. All of this information is transmitted through the API to thestorage location.

A user can then navigate to other sites as well and surf for products.As the threshold is met, multiple products can be transmitted to thebrowser for storage. Data associated with the products can be sent aswell, such as a user likelihood of purchasing. As the user surfs theweb, products will be gathered up and passed through the API and stored.The user can set parameters on the circumstances that will cause productdata to be sent, such as viewing for more than 60 seconds, or allproducts reviewed 2 weeks before a family member's birthday, or allproducts above a price of $10, or at a certain stage in navigation suchas the product is placed in a site shopping cart (and also should betransmitted to the browser shopping cart). The user can then browse foritems across different sites, when they get to the point of making anypurchase using the browser API interface, such as at site3.com, thesystem will or can include within the buy button interface, the itemsfrom the first site and the second site that they searched. See FIG.17K. An important point is that the interface here is the browser/userinterface payment request API interface and not necessary (although itcan be) the normal payment interface. The interface can also includeother options. For example, the user is at site3.com purchasing the itemfrom that site, the payment interface can include a selectable option to“add other 2 items from browser shopping cart” or “add items searchedfor today” or “add items searched for this week”. The user can then havethose items added to the shopping cart and one click can manage theindividual purchase and delivery of each item. Disambiguation ofdifferent delivery addresses, greetings, or any other data could begathered at any stage of the searching or payment process. Drop-downmenus can be included such that when the user is in the purchasing mode,the various items can be gathered together for payment as an aggregatedgroup. The shopping cart could also be viewed directly within thebrowser independent of any site. Comparisons, discounts, options forincentivizing purchases, can be provided in the aggregated group ofitems. The browser or other service manages all of the payments toindividual sites. The syntax of the payment request API could beadjusted for accomplishing the functionality disclosed herein.

The benefit is that the browser/user interface payment request APIinterface can be modified so that when the user makes a purchase on anysite and the browser/user interface payment request API is accessed forthe purchase, that automatically or manually, the other items in theshopping cart can be added to the interface such that the user canpurchase multiple products in one click or the series of clicks to getthrough the payment process. A threshold can be met for transfer. A sitecan provide a plus button, buy button or other object that dynamicallyis presented when a threshold is met that the user can click on to addto browser shopping cart. Then the user can move on to the next item.The concept applies both from the standpoint of the site (monitoringnavigation, determining to transmit product data to browser shoppingcart API, and receiving data about a purchase of the product on abrowser/user interface payment request API interface from another site,such that the site can process the purchase of the product. This ofcourse even though the user has never navigated to the product on thefirst site and indicated on the first site that he or she wants to makethe purchase there. When the purchase is made at another site as part ofa group of products shown on a payment interface, the browser can managethe notification back to the first site that the purchase has been made,and can transmit through the browser shopping cart API and/or thebrowser/user interface payment request API data about the product, thepayment account, a one-use token, address delivery information, productidentification, etc. A package of data can be transmitted to the firstsite with all of the data to enable the first site to identify theproduct previously searched and communicated to the browser, a paymenttoken or other payment data, address information, and so forth, suchthat the site can process the payment and deliver the product. The sitecan also adjust based on whether the product browser API is available.For example, if it is available, buttons can be presented for adding theitem being viewed to the shopping cart. The site can also include amessenger app, communication application, video application, and soforth. So in any context where a product is being presented, the site orapplication would offer the ability to transmit data to the product APIfor storage in the shopping cart of the user.

In yet another aspect, as the user navigates to the site, the site canaccess a user information API associated with the browser or anetwork-based service. The browser or any other service can storeinformation like user hat size, shirt size, pant size, show size, colorpreferences, style preferences, purchase history, social mediainformation such as friends and family information, sizes, preferences,and so forth. As the user begins searching, the site can receive suchdata via the API. Based on this data, the site can adjust itspresentation to the user of the navigation object and interfaces. Forexample, the user might not need to be presented with the option tochoose between an S, M or L shirt if the API informs the site that theuser is a medium. Color or style preferences can be tailored for theuser as they search the site. As soon as the user navigates to arespective site, the site can do a call to the browser asking forpersonalization parameters, and the browser can respond with thepersonal data for the user and/or other users that the site can use totailor the browsing experience. The user could set parameters such asbuttons on the site, menus, auto transmission of items, and so forth.

Indeed, as the user beings surfing, an interface can be presented to askwhat the user is interested in. A natural language or text interfacecould receive data from the user such as “I'm shopping for my wife'sbirthday”. With the system knowing the social media data for the user,including sizes of family/friends, the user could shop more efficientlyfor say a coat for his wife's birthday. Color and style choicesassociated with his wife could improve options presented. Sizeinformation can be preconfigured such that the user does not need tochoose the size. Any parameter, social media data, size, preferences,style, purchase history, and so forth could be used to change thenavigation features for a site as the user navigates. There will be nomore need for size choices for shirts, pants, or shoes, etc. Such datacan be transmitted through the API to the site for reconfiguring thesite for that user's navigation. The site can receive other data aboutthe user that can help in more effective presentation ofproducts/services. If the site knows the user is shopping for a book forhis mother that can certainly aid in a more focused presentation ofproducts.

Further, the products searched for could be classified automatically ormanually, such as birthday, or Christmas, or Mother's Day. Options forclassification can be presented on the site based on social media data,product characteristics, or menu selections. Thus, a user could browserdifferent sites and have three items classified as mother's birthdayitems and two items as their own purchases. When the user is buying anitem with the browser API interface, the option could be to add mother'sbirthday items, add personal items, or add all items for purchase. Itemscould be grouped as toys, or kitchen items, or bathroom items, or officematerials. Any number of ways can be provided to add a group ofclassified items into the shopping cart. All the items in the cart canbe groups or organized based on manual or automatic means. Thus, theitems that you want to purchase together could be more streamlined.

At any point, a disambiguation dialog can help to focus the informationfrom the user for improving the navigation. For example, as the usernavigates to a site, the system may ask “are you shopping for you or foryour Wife's birthday?” With some data about what the shopping is for,the system can transmit the personalized information, addressinformation, etc. to the website via an API so that the site can modifythe experience for the user. For example, rather than size buttons like“S”, “M” or “L”, the system can present, “Mary”, “Mom”, “Nancy”, “Tim”.You just need to pick the size for your brother Tim. A drop-down menucould include the various people the user is shopping for so the userjust picks the person. All of the names, sizes, preferences, and soforth can be sent for one or more people to the site for processing. Ifthe system knows that Tim loves red shirts the system could also suggestto the buyer that the blue shirt might not be the best choice.

Triggering events for when a site transmits product data through the APIcan be time spent on a product, reviews read, placing item in shoppingcart, reviewing product, a combination of these kinds of navigation datacoupled with data transmitted to the site such as other items inshopping cart, summarized information about the user, size of user,color preferences, etc. A discount can be provided to the user if theyauthorize the personalized data to be sent. From the site standpoint,the site receives user navigation, receives personalized data for theuser via an API such as size information, style preferences, purchasinghistory, social media data, holiday data, and so forth, such that thesite presents interfaces and selectable options based on the receiveddata. Those preferences can also drive the algorithm that determineswhen to pass product data to the API for placing in their universalshopping cart. A trigger algorithm can be adjusted based on the datatransmitted to the site, such as a 30 second time frame for a productcan be reduced to 20 seconds based on a birthday coming up.

The size information for people in your social network can be passed aswell based on social media data. For example, your friend's sizeinformation can be passed if your friend has a birthday coming up. Thesystem can also tokenize that size information such that you can chooseyour friend's size for clothing, but you don't know what their size is.You can share your data in a tokenized or secure manner from yourbrowser storage.

FIG. 17L illustrates an example method embodiment. One aspect of thisdisclosure applies to multi-site universal shopping carts andparticularly presents a solution that is applicable using a modifiedversion of the browser payment request application programming interfaceimplemented by W3C. Users can access multiple sites across differentdevices, using different modalities and in different locations. In oneaspect, a method, system or computer readable storage device operatesfrom the standpoint of the browser. The method includes receiving, via abrowser shopping cart application programming interface associated witha browser, first data associated with a first product viewed by a usernavigating on a first site using the browser, wherein the user did notpurchase the product on the first site (1733). The first data is storedsuch that it is accessible to the browser or a network service such as asearch entity. This storage can be with the browser, on a user device,or on a network device hosted by a search entity or other paymententity. The method includes presenting a browser payment interface tothe user for managing the purchase of the second product, the browserpayment interface being associated with a browser payment requestapplication programming interface in which payment data for the user ispassed from the browser to the second site through the browser paymentrequest application programming interface (1735). As part of the paymentrequest API, an interface is presented to the user that they caninteract with to achieve the payment. This interface is augmented withadditional shopping cart items to enable multiple items to be purchasedwith “one-click.” (The interface usually requires a few clicks but manyless than a normal payment process in which multiple fields have to befilled in manually by the user). The method further includes presentingon the browser payment interface information about the first product andprocessing a payment of both the first product and the second productbased on user interaction with the browser payment interface (1737). Theprocessing of the payment of both the first product and the secondproduct can occur using first communication between the browser and thefirst site via the browser payment request application programminginterface and second communication between the browser and the secondsite via the browser payment request application programming interface.The difference is that the second site is already communicating with thebrowser for the payment process of the second product. The user,however, has navigated away from the first site, so a communication backto the first site must identify the product as well as providing paymentand/or delivery data to the first site for “reminding” the first site ofthe previously searched-for product. Processing the payment of both thefirst product and the second product further can include transmitting,through the browser application programming interface, a package of datawhich enables the first site to process the first purchase of the firstproduct. The package of data can include payment data for the first siteto process the payment for the first product and address informationassociated with the user for the first site to deliver the product. Themethod can also include receiving a confirmation from the user of thepurchase of both the first product and the second product utilizing asame set of object interactions used for purchasing one product via thebrowser payment interface (1739). In other words, since the user isalready in the browser interface for processing the payment for thesecond product, the method can include utilizing the same “one-click”plus perhaps one fingerprint recognition or CVC code entry, or whateverfew steps are utilized for the purchase of the second product, to alsoprocess the payment for the first product. As noted, the universalshopping cart may be separate from the browser API and completelymanaged by a network entity or search entity as well. There may also becoordination between the API and a network entity for managing the cartand the purchases.

Processing the payment for the first product and for the second caninclude communicating first information via the browser payment requestapplication programming interface to the first site for completing thepurchase and delivery of the first product from the first site andcommunicating second information via the browser payment requestapplication programming interface to the second site for completing thepurchase and delivery of the second product from the second site.Receiving the first data associated with a first product viewed by auser navigating on a first site using the browser further can includereceiving the first data based on a threshold user interactionassociated with the first product. For example, the user may need to putthe first product in a shopping cart, or click on a button, or view theproduct for a period of time to indicate that there might be apurchasing interest. In another aspect, a search entity can storepayment credential and address and/or other information for the purchaseand manage a payment process for the universal shopping cart.

The method from the standpoint of the first site is shown in FIG. 17Mand can include transmitting, from the first site and via a browsershopping cart application programming interface associated with abrowser, first data associated with a first product viewed by a usernavigating on the first site using the browser, wherein the user did notpurchase the product on the first site, wherein the browser can managestoring the first data is stored such that it is accessible to thebrowser (1741) and, after the user navigates away from the first site toa second site, receiving a package of data from a browser paymentrequest application programming interface for processing a payment ofthe first product, wherein the package of data identifies the firstproduct and can include payment data associated with the user forprocessing the payment for the first product, wherein the user confirmedpayment for the first product via an interaction with a browser paymentinterface presented as part of using the browser application programminginterface to manage a purchase of a second product on the second site(1743).

The package of data received at the first site further can includeaddress information for the user for delivery of the first product. Themethods can include any communication needed from both the first siteand the second site to identify payment methods, communicate shoppingcart and payment capabilities of the browser, product data, session dataassociated with the user's search on the first site, user data, paymentdata, delivery data, size data, or any other data associated withprocessing a payment for the first product or aggregating the firstproduct and the second product into the browser payment interfaceassociated with the browser/user interface payment request API such thatmultiple products from different sites and/or apps can be purchased viaa single shopping cart. Any concept referenced herein for processing ashopping cart can apply from the standpoint of the first or second sitedepending on the embodiment covered.

In another aspect, the user may have several items in a browser shoppingcart and decide they would like to purchase the items and have themdelivered. However, the user may not want to have to navigate to aproduct on a site and make a purchase of an item on a site to initiatethe browser API payment interface. In this case, the system can providea notice on the browser or a dynamic object could be presented or a menuitem could be presented which enables the user from the browser to bepresented with a payment interface with the shopping cart items. Theuser can be presented with a dynamically modified buy button associatedwith their browser type, payment request API type, or user account type.Then the user can purchase those items via interaction with the requiredobjects. In this case, since the user is not on any site, if, forexample, there is a first item from a first site and a second item froma second site in the shopping cart, the browser API would then transmitproduct ID, payment details, address details and so forth to therespective sites for processing the payment and delivery of the producteven though the sites did not initiate a payment request according tothe standard payment request API. Where payment services such as ApplePay are used, those can be processed appropriately such that thestandard data needed by the respective site to process the purchase(card type, token received, confirmation of purchase made, etc.) can bereceived via the API and the delivery of the product can be achieved.The shopping cart would also be made available wherever the usersurfs—such as on their social media site (Facebook could have aselectable object indicating that there are items in the shopping cart),texting application, email application, calendar application, and soforth.

In another aspect, when one site uses Apple Pay, another site requiresVISA, and a third site uses Android Pay, the user's shopping cart withthree items from the sites may utilize some different interactions (suchas fingerprint versus CVC code) to finalize the payments. Where thereare differences in such interactions, the interface can aggregate therequirements such that one click on one object can indicate “Pay withApple Pay and Android Pay” or “Pay with Apple Pay and VISA”. Theinterface may then request a fingerprint and then a CVC code. Theaggregation and organization of the various interactions can simplifythe process of making purchases in one shopping cart with differentpayment mechanisms.

Another aspect relates to how to coordinate between different versionsof APIs. For example, if a user is making a purchase using Apple Pay,which utilizes a proprietary browser API, the system could access dataabout shopping cart items stored in connection with the W3C browser/userinterface payment request API, which is an industry standard. Whether acommon protocol is used or some translation of parameters between thedifferent APIs is used, one approach is to present one single shoppingcart, with one buy button or set of interactions that is aggregated,such that multiple items are purchased in the shopping cart, even whenthe aggregated shopping cart spans two different versions of the browserAPI or two versions of the browser shopping cart API, or two differentpurchasing interfaces. In one example, assume the user is in an ApplePay interface, and clicks on a buy button and confirms the purchase witha fingerprint of three items, one of which is an Apple Pay item and twoof which are incorporated in from a different context but that wouldrequire Android Pay for one item and a VISA payment for another item,each from different sites. The local device and/or a server cancoordinate the communication of the information between the Apple Payprocess (in Safari) and a W3C browser API (such as on Chrome or Mozillaor Microsoft Edge, for example) such that a confirmation of the purchasecan be utilized to process the Apple Pay purchase in the normal fashion,but then provide instructions to the W3C API to carry out the process ofcommunicating with the respective sites such that the purchase of thesecond item via Android Pay is achieved and the purchase of the thirditem via VISA is coordinated. Thus, this aspect covers all of thecoordination and information that is exchanged between two differentAPIs (browsers) for the purpose of enabling purchases from various sitesto be accomplished behind the scenes when a single shopping cartcontaining multiple items that span multiple sites and multiple versionsof browser/user interface payment request APIs is used to purchase themultiple items together. This aspect covers all the communications,responses, confirmations, security related communications, instructionsand so forth between browsers and between one or more of browsers,different sites, services and/or payment processors to achieve a oneclick purchasing of items in a shopping cart as part of a browser APIpayment interface but wherein the inclusion of the items in the shoppingcart spans different versions of the browser payment API or differbrowsers such that notification of different site and processing ofpayments can be carried out based on a single payment process for themultiple products. Thus, Safari could manage the payment interface butcommunicate with Chrome to receive shopping cart items and then notifyChrome of the purchase of the respective Chrome items in the shoppingcart. Then Safari can manage its payments for products purchase from asite and Chrome can manage its payments for products purchased from itssites. Further, the shopping cart can be integrated with othernon-browser API interfaces. For example, a PayPal interface, or anAmazon Payments interface could also access via an API shopping cartitems stored in connection with a browser and incorporate or aggregatethose items into a one-click purchase experience of multiple itemsacross not only different browser API interfaces but non-browser APIinterfaces.

Multiple Browser API Versions

There are different flavors of the browser API. There is Apple pay andthe standardized W3C browser API which utilize a different version ofthe same API. There could be others as well. Users also utilizedifferent apps on devices to make payments, such as a PayPal app. Anyparticular website which desires to provide a checkout procedure usingone of these browser APIs, may need to detect which browser API isavailable and thus choose the appropriate buy button to present as anobject with which the user interacts. If a user is using Microsoft edgeas the browser, the merchant site should not present an Apple pay buybutton. Accordingly, the concepts disclosed herein involves a merchantsite determining which browser API is available. The merchant site todetermine which browser is being used between Safari, Mozilla, Microsoftedge, chrome, Samsung, Internet, and so forth. The merchant site canthen present a buy button which is appropriate for the respectivebrowser that is being used to navigate the site. If the merchant sitedetermines that the user is navigating through the site using ApplesSafari browser, the object that is presented which the user can interactwith to indicate an intent to purchase can be an Apple pay button. Thisof course may also involve a call through the API to determine if theuser has Apple pay set up on their device.

The merchant site may also provide some branding as part of theinterface to manage the payment process. Thus, if the user has aMicrosoft wallet, and they are using Microsoft edge, the interface caninclude branding for the Microsoft wallet. In any case, after themerchant site determines which buy button to present, in the user clicksor otherwise interacts with the object, the merchant site willcommunicate through the respective browser API to request the paymentinformation and provide the necessary data associated with the purchasesuch that the merchant site can receive, through the browser API, one ormore of the payment data, name, address, security codes, fingerprintidentification, audio information, visual or facial information, and soforth, to complete the purchase and deliver the product. This aspect ofthe disclosure primarily involves the determination evaluation by themerchant site regarding which browser API to use and how to present theuser interface to ensure that an improper or unavailable option is notpresented to the user as part of the improved checkout process isavailable through the use of the browser API.

The differences between the browser APIs could be that one utilizes amerchant verification procedure or enables the communication of paymentdata from a separate user device from which the user is accessing thesite via a browser. For example, Apple pay has a browser API with adifferent protocol, then the W3C payment request API. Apple pay requiresa merchant verification procedure and also enables the user to access amerchant site via the Safari browser on a laptop or desktop computer,and, when the user clicks on an Apple pay buy button on a site via thebrowser, the Safari browser can access payment data on a separate mobiledevice such as an iPhone that communicates via Bluetooth with the laptopor desktop computer. Thus, when using Apple pay. In this manner, theuser, on the laptop or desktop computer, clicks on Apple pay and thenprovides a fingerprint verification on their iPhone, which is linked tothe laptop or desktop computer, via Bluetooth. Of course othervariations might exist between a first browser/user interface paymentrequest API and the second browser/user interface payment request API.Facial recognition can be used as well to verify identity.

In another aspect, a user could be using Mozilla on a MacBook ratherthan using Safari. The user may have stored payment information forApple Pay. The system could detect that the user is browsing withMozilla but through a Safari browser on the user device, the user couldimplement Apple Pay. The proper communication of data could be providedsuch that the user is able to use Apple Pay even though they are surfingwith Mozilla. This would require a verification, for example, that theuser is using an Apple iOS device and has an Apple Pay configuration.The merchant site would receive a notification through the Mozillabrowser that Apple Pay is available. Data could be communicated toconfirm that Mozilla could enable a communication link from the Mozillabrowser to the Safari browser on the user device to tunnel theinformation through to the merchant site. In this manner, the Mozillamay cause an instance of Safari to initiate in the background of theApple device such that Mozilla can communicate with Safari and themerchant site such that the merchant site could present an Apple Paybutton and the same interaction used for making an Apple Pay paymentcould be made through the Mozilla browser API.

In another aspect, a method includes determining whether a user isaccessing a site via a first browser or a second browser, wherein thefirst browser implements a first browser/user interface payment requestAPI and the second browser implements a second browser/user interfacepayment request API to yield a determination. When the determinationindicates that the user is accessing the site via the first browser, themethod includes presenting a first buy button on the site associatedwith a purchase and receiving an interaction, by the user, with thefirst buy button. The method includes transmitting a payment request viathe first browser/user interface payment request API to receive paymentdata stored on a user device and receiving the payment data via thefirst browser/user interface payment request API. When the determinationindicates that the user is accessing the site via the second browser,the method includes presenting a second buy button on the siteassociated with the purchase, receiving an interaction, by the user,with the second buy button, transmitting a payment request via thesecond browser/user interface payment request API to receive paymentdata stored on a user device and receiving the payment data via thesecond browser/user interface payment request API.

The first browser/user interface payment request API can from the secondbrowser/user interface payment request API. The first browser/userinterface payment request API can verify the site. The firstbrowser/user interface payment request API can enable multiple userdevices to communicate in order to provide the payment data via thefirst browser/user interface payment request API to the site. The usercan access the site via the first browser on a user client device. Thefirst browser can cause the user client device to wirelessly receive thepayment data stored on the user device, wherein the user device is aphysically separate device from the user client device. The user devicecan communicate with the user client device via a Bluetooth wirelessprotocol.

Further, tailored information can be provided for each interface. Forexample, Apple pay has its own browser API and other browser such asMozilla, Microsoft edge, chrome, and others utilize the W3C browser API.Particular wallets may be utilized with each browser. For example,Microsoft edge utilizes the Microsoft wallet for providing the paymentinformation through the browser API. Users may desire to see whichwallet is being used, to make a payment. For example, the user may havea visa stored in a Microsoft wallet but a MasterCard stored in a Googlewallet. Thus, one aspect of this disclosure is to provide a notificationon an interface associated with the payment process in connection with abrowser API, which identifies the wallet which is being used for aparticular transaction. Indeed, in one aspect, where a user might havemultiple browsers on a device, and thus might have multiple wallets, oneaspect of this disclosure is presenting the user within a browser APIinterface, with an option to select from different wallets were storagelocations for payment data which is to be communicated through thebrowser API. In this regard, a method could include presenting an objectwhich is selectable by user as part of a browser/user interface paymentrequest API interface. The object may be associated with a defaultwallet to use for the payment. In another aspect, the interface mightjust present several objects which the user can just simply click on toselect the proper wallet. For example, the interface may present anobject for Microsoft wallet an object for Apple pay. These may be oneclick operations in which the user simply indicates that they desire tomake the payments and to use the particular wallets. In another aspect,a default wallet could be presented, such as Apple pay, with an objectthat indicates that other alternate wallets might be available. Abutton, drop-down menu or link could be provided that the user is unableto select in order to change from the default wallet. Upon receiving auser interaction with the object, the exchange of information via thebrowser API continues in the normal process according to the chosenwallet.

Using the above scenario, one example of the approach in action could bewhere a user is surfing the web via Safari, and wants to purchase awidget. Because the user has an Apple pay account, and Apple pay buttonis presented as part of the payment process for the user to select.However, if the user also has a Mozilla browser on the device, whichincludes in his auto fill database payment information including thenecessary payment account number, user address, and so forth, then theinterface could present the user with the option of the paying throughtheir Mozilla stored data. In this regard, the Safari browser couldcommunicate with the Mozilla browser to receive the payment datacommunicated through the Apple browser API to the merchant for payment.An API could be used for such browser to browser communication of data.Further, assume that the user also has a Microsoft edge browser and aMicrosoft wallet. In this respect, the user could be presented with theoption of switching to either a Mozilla account or a Microsoft walletaccount for making the payment. In some respects, if an alternatepayment mechanism is selected, then the system could launch theassociated browser which could then communicate with the merchant andthe payment information could be communicated through that browser APIto the merchant. In other words, if the user begins on Safari to browsethe merchant site, within selects a Microsoft wallet for the payment,the device can cause the necessary communication between the Safaribrowser to the Microsoft edge browser, which would launch the Microsoftedge browser, and provide a deep link or a communication to the sessionin which the widget is being purchased such that the merchant couldeither launch a payment request API call to the Microsoft edge browseror simply receive the payment data stored in the Microsoft wallet tohandle the purchase. This approach can give the user more control overwhich wallet is used for a particular purchase. This approach alsoprovides the ease of communication with the user notifying them of allthe available wallets which could be used for any particular partpurchase. This approach of course could also be extended to includebitcoin or other crypto currencies which might be available on thedevice for making a purchase.

Banks or credit card companies may provide discounts or coupons formaking such a selection. For example, within the user interface, ifApple pay is the default payment mechanism, the merchant, or a bank, orany other entity might offer a discount on the price of the widget ifthe user selects the payment account in their Microsoft wallet for thepayment. This could be because Apple pay charges the merchant, orbecause a particular credit card also charges a higher fee for thepurchase. In this regard, one aspect of this disclosure includes, for aparticular purchase, evaluating the various fees or charges associatedwith each possible payment account which is available to be made from auser device via a browser API. If a determination is made that oneparticular available payment account has fewer fees or provides aparticular benefit, then a method could include presenting a discount,or a coupon as part of the user payment interface which provides theuser with an opportunity to select the alternate payment account andthereby receive a discounted price on the widget or some other benefit.Users may opt in to an approach which makes their various walletsavailable through each browser on their device. Furthermore, advertisingor notifications could also be presented on the browser API interfacewhich could be based on social media data, prior purchasing history,available wallets to use for purchases, and so forth.

Site/App Monetization

Another aspect of this disclosure can include web monetizationapproaches. For example, using one or more of the payment request APIand the payment handler API as disclosed herein, micro-payments to beprovided from a user to a website that the user is browsing. These APIscan be adapted to micropayments in which they are not processing paymentbased on a “buy” click by a user, but based on the user navigating to asite/app that exchanges access to the content for micro-payments. Themicro-payments could be established to be continuous rather than aone-time event and could be based on any number of factors. For example,the micro-payments could be dynamic and vary based on the amount of datacommunicated between the site and the browser. If the user is viewingvideo, the micro-payments might be higher, for example. If the user ismerely viewing or reading an article, the micro-payments might berelatively less. The user's experience could also be a blending ofadvertisements and micro-payments. For example, caps could be providedwith respect to any given site navigated to wherein after the user hasmade a certain amount of a micro-payment such as 10 cents, andadvertisements could start. The user could establish settings wheremicro-payments are made for nonvideo browsing but that the user wouldaccept viewing advertisements in connection with the YouTube video orother video viewed from a site. Further, the ability or existence ofmaking micro-payments could impact which version of the video andindividual sees. For example, Youtube might be able to present differentversions of the video based on whether web monetization exists. If theuser can pay a site through web monetization, then the viewer should beable to see videos without advertisements. The site of course can sharepayments between itself and a contributor of the video. Youtube.commight receive micro-payments for itself but also have to distribute someof the payments to the creators of respective videos that are viewedunder a web monetization approach.

In another aspect, when applying web monetization, a graphicalpresentation could be provided to the user in a separate window similarto the window presented to the user for making a payment via the paymentAPI. The graphical representation could inform the user the payments arebeing made and utilize a bar chart or some graphical representation ofhow much payment has been made to the site. Notifications could beprovided to the user where payments are being made but it might appearthat the user is no longer watching. Haptic signals, audio signals,visual signals or any combination thereof to be provided to remind theuser that money is being paid to the site currently viewable. The siteof course could also be an application whether a progressive web app ora client-based app that is set up for monetization. In one aspect, nouser interaction is needed to manage the monetization approach, whereasin other aspects, the user interface can be presented to enableconfirmation of payments, confirmation of continued viewing,confirmation of changing states from a monetization approach to anadvertising approach while browsing a site, and so forth. A browser orany module configured to control a user interface or payment process canbe programmed with an API to handle monetization in this manner.

In another aspect, sites or apps could provide enhanced services forincreased payments. For example, a site might provide an audible readingof its articles in exchange for higher monetization. A browser or userinterface module might present options regarding which version of thesite/app the user will view based on whether the user wants to make theappropriate payment. The variations can include video quality, audioquality, access to content, access to other users viewing the site,access to comments, ability to comment, ability to share be a socialmedia, and so forth. In one example, a user may start a Youtube videobut then open up another tab where the user still hears audio, but nolonger sees the video. In such cases, adjustments can be made where themicro-payments are modified where the user only hears the audio butcannot see the video. If the user clicks on the tab with the video, thenthe micro-payments can adjust back to the full amount. These choices canbe made manually or the decided according to a user profile orpredefined parameters. Weekly or monthly reports can be provided tousers regarding their payments to sites such that they can identify howmuch they have paid and to what sites the payments have gone to.

Another aspect of this disclosure relates to merchant sites. Users maymake micro-payments to a merchant site but be reimbursed if the userpurchases a product. Similarly, users may make payments to a nonmerchantsite but if an advertisement does exist and the user ended making apurchase associate with the advertisement, users might be reimbursed themicro-payment. Thus, the flow of payments can be both to a site or froma site throughout the user experience at the site. For example, the usermay browse a site and be making continuous micro-payments but decide atsome point to share a social media posting associated with the site atwhich point the micro-payments might be returned and/or the user mightbe paid for making the social media connection and thus advertisementfor the site. Opportunities for sharing a sites or an article could bepresented dynamically. Communication regarding such actions can be builtinto the protocol for the API which can manage such information betweenthe site/app and the browser or module. For example, a sites mightmonitor its receive micro-payments and as it hits a threshold, such as a25 cents, the site could present the user with an option to share thearticle, video, or any other aspect of the site on their Facebook feed.The site can notify the user that if they now share the article, thattheir micro-payment will be returned or some other variation of paymentwill be provided to the user. The amount returned could also depend onthe user's social media following. For example, if the user has 10MTwitter followers, then the sites might return the user's 25 centcontribution and pay them $5 for the posting on Twitter. Thus, a paymentcould flow from the site to the user via one or more of the APIsdisclosed herein.

As can be appreciated, one aspect of this disclosure can includemicro-payments flowing from the user to a site as well as micro-paymentsflowing from the sites to the user. A ledger can be used to maintain abalance of these various payments and at the conclusion of the usernavigating away from the site, a net payment flowing in either directioncould be made. Follow on social media, email, texting, or othercommunication can occur from the site to the user after the usernavigates away from the site. For example, the user could later receivean email which states “thank you for visiting www.website.com. You made$1 visiting our site—come again when you are ready”. The message ofcourse can include a link to the site to draw the user back.

Overall Architecture for One-Click Payments

FIG. 18A illustrates an example architecture 1800 for pre-populating amerchant shopping cart, as well as for using a browser API. In thisexample, a user 1802 of a computing device 1804 running a web browser1806 loads a web page with a unified input field or any other site suchas a social networking site. The site communicates with a server 1810via an API 1812. The server 1810 can represent any site or app, evenpayment service applications. As the user 1802 enters data in theunified input field, or interacts with the site in any other way basedon its respective functionality, the browser 1806 sends the data, viathe API 1812, to the server 1810. The server 1810 can analyze the datato identify that the intent of the user 1802 is to make a purchase,based on the data entered in the unified input field. The server 1810can identify a merchant website 1816 that sells the desired item, andcommunicate with that merchant website 1816 via its associatedbrowser/user interface payment request API 1818, if available. In oneaspect in this scenario, the payment data stored 1814 can enable thesite 1810 to process the payment and communicate via the API with themerchant the payment details and information to the merchant 1816 todeliver the product. If an API is not available, the server 1810 cancommunicate with the merchant website 1816 via HTTP and can navigatethrough the website in an automated fashion as if a user were clickingor entering data on the merchant website 1816. The server 1810 can use anetwork-based database 1814 of payment and delivery data or otherpersonal data about the user 1802 to populate data fields at themerchant website 1816.

However, if a network-based database 1814 is incomplete or does notexist, the server 1810 can, via the API 1812, request data from adatabase of payment and delivery data 1808 local to the browser 1806 orto the computing device 1804. The payment data 1808 can be any paymentdata stored on the local device (or at a network based service), even iffor other purposes such as a YouTube account, or associated with anemail account, or an iTunes account. If a user is logged into theirbrowser, or their email account or any other type of account, and thereis payment data stored, the system can utilize or access that paymentdata to initiate a commerce purchase. When the user is making apurchase, the system can present the various payment accounts stored,such as a credit card in Google Wallet, plus a Play Store account, andlet the user choose amongst the available payment options. This can alsooccur across platforms such as information stored in Chrome plus anAmazon account stored on Amazon.com. In this scenario, the Amazon.comdata can be represented by the server 1810 and data 1814 and can beprovided to the browser 1806 through an API 1812 or other means. Thebrowser 1806 can access and utilize any stored payment data forsimplifying the payment process. The server 1810 can continuouslyreceive additional data entered by the user in the unified input fieldvia, and update or modify data entered at the merchant website 1816,products selected for purchase at the merchant website 1816, or evenswitch to a different merchant website altogether. The server 1810 cantransmit a response to the browser 1806, via the API 1812, so thebrowser 1806 can present actions or destinations to the user 1802 basedon the data entered in the unified input field. Then, if the userselects one of the actions or destinations, the browser 1806 cannavigate to that page and communicate with the merchant web site 1816directly, or without the server 1810, although the server 1810 maycontinue to communicate with the browser 1806 to track behavior of theuser 1802 at the merchant website 1816. For instance, the server 1810may track eventual purchase details referred through the unified inputfield. The server 1810 can update the network-based payment and deliverydata 1814 from time to time based on information processed from thelocal payment and delivery data 1808, or based on user input. Thebrowser/user interface payment request API 1818 establishes the basicprotocols for communicating information between the merchant site 1816and a browser 1806 for simplifying the payment process. The browser 1806can also represent any device such as a voice controlled assistant or anappliance. The payment data that is communicated from the browser 1806through the API 1818 to the merchant site 1816 can be tokenized forsecurity purposes. The merchant site 1816 can then process a payment forthe product with their payment processor 1820. The benefit of thisapproach is that the same payment infrastructure can be used by themerchant and only minor changes to a site are needed to utilize thebrowser API 1818 to obtain the necessary data for processing a payment.As shown in FIG. 18A, communications between the merchant site 1816 viathe API 1818 with the browser 1806 to obtain any kind of data 1808, canoccur in both directions. Thus, the merchant 1816 can initiate a requestfor data through the browser API and receive that data for any purposesuch as payment data to avoid the user needing to manually fill inpayment account, address information, as well as any other data such asshirt size, pant size, shoe size, color preferences, one-clickpurchasing parameters etc.

For example, if the merchant site 1816 is amazon.com and the sitealready has the payment account and address of the user landing onamazon.com, a one-click purchasing authorization or parameter may needto be set on the browser 1806 for the destination state to be a“one-click” purchasing state. In the transition from the server 1810 tothe site 1816, the process can include accessing or confirming that theone-click purchasing state is “on” for the browser to enable the user toland on the site 1816 and have the next interaction be a one-click topurchase the product.

Various example aspects of implementing the payment request API 1818 aredisclosed herein. It is noted that the payment and/or delivery data, aswell is any other data (such as user profile data, one-click purchasingdata, settings, parameters and so forth) that may be used for processinga purchase, can be stored 1808 locally, on a user device 1804 or may beretrieved from a network server or service, or a combination of both.For example, when the browser 1806 receives a payment request throughthe API 1818, it may communicate data with a network server associatedwith a purchase. A network server can encrypt data and create a tokenwhich is transmitted back to the user device, for passing on to themerchant for processing the payment. The server 1810 can also representany site other than search sites, such as social media sites, and therespective functionality associated with the respective site will applyto how one might transition from an interaction with the first site 1810to a destination merchant entity site 1816. In other words, theinitiating transitional interaction may not be entering data into aninput field but could be any interaction associated with the respectivesite, such as interacting with an advertisement or an interactionassociated with a game, map application, conferencing application and soforth.

In one aspect, as is shown in FIG. 18A, the site 1816 can also requestvia the API 1818 payment data from the server 1810, which can haveaccess to the payment data, user data and/or other data. Thus, forexample, a site could present a buy button as the user navigates for aproduct and decides to make a purchase, and to turn that purchase into aone-click type experience, the site could perform an API call to aserver, such as a Google based server or an Amazon based server, forexample, and retrieve payment information and/or other data stored withGoogle or Amazon, or any other entity, which can be passed through theAPI to the merchant site for processing the payment and potentiallydelivery of the product to the buyer. Thus, payment data stored in sayGoogle Play, or with an email address or YouTube, or at Amazon, could beaccessed and provided quickly and easily such that the user does nothave to manually enter the data to make a purchase. The server 1810might also access payment data stored in connection with the browser1806 to make a payment. Indeed, the API 1818 and/or API 1812 could beused to present a number of different payment options via a userinterface, such as one payment option stored in a browser 1808 and onepayment option stored at a Google server 1814, or Android Pay, forexample, and enable the user to choose which payment account to use fora payment. Information about the chosen payment account can be passedthrough the API 1818 to the site 1816 for processing.

FIG. 18B illustrates a method example related to the browser API shownin FIG. 18A. The method can be performed by a browser and include stepsof storing, in a non-transitory storage medium of a user client device,payment data for a user (1830). In one aspect, the payment data caninclude any one or more of address information, payment accountinformation, a date of expiration, a CVC code, a token or code which canbe used or encrypted for providing a payment token for use by amerchant, user delivery preferences, user size information for clothing,and so forth. Any data related to processing a purchase can be includedin payment data. The payment data is typically not being associated withany specific site but can be used across multiple sites. Any securitymechanism can be implemented to ensure safe communication of paymentdata or modified payment data to the site 1816 for processing apurchase. User size information could also be tokenized whencommunicated through the browser API. When the purchase occurs via theapplication programming interface between the social networking site andthe merchant site, the social networking site can transmit payment datathrough the application programming interface such that the merchantsite can process the purchase of the product.

The method can include receiving, via a user interface such as abrowser, a click interaction, by user, with an object associated with asite presented within the browser (1832), the click interactionindicating a user intent to make a purchase and receiving, at thebrowser, based on the click interaction and via a browser paymentrequest application programming interface that defines a protocol forcommunicating the payment data between the site and the browser, arequest from the site for the payment data in connection with thepurchase (1834), retrieving, via the browser, the payment data (or aversion of the payment data that is tokenized or encrypted forsecurity), to yield retrieved payment data (1836) and transmitting, tothe site and via the browser payment request application programminginterface, the retrieved payment data, wherein the retrieved paymentdata can be used to process a payment or deliver a product associatedwith the purchase (1838). In one aspect, the browser can also interactwith another server 1810 which can also process payment data 1814 suchas generating a token that is passed back to the browser 1806 forcommunication to the merchant site 1816. FIG. 19A, feature 1908illustrates such an object which can be interacted with for initiatingthe interaction between the merchant site 1816 and the browser 1806. Inanother aspect, the payment data 1808 can be stored with the browser inwhole or in part and other data can be accessed via a network server1814 in whole or in part to generate payment data or payment informationthat is communicated to the merchant 1816 for processing a payment. Inthis example, payment data could be exchanged with user sizeinformation, registration data, or any other data that is exchanged viathe browser API.

In another aspect, the methods disclosed herein can also apply to an“app” context in which the user is interfacing with an app downloaded ona user device, and upon a click interaction, such as clicking on a buybutton, the app requests payment data from a module configured to managea user interface. The module configured to manage a user interfaceretrieves payment data, for example by retrieving data stored on thedevice, and communicating data to a network-based payment service,through use of one or more APIs, and returns authorized payment data tothe app via an API configured between the app and the module configuredto manage a user interface.

FIG. 18C illustrates a process from the standpoint of the merchant site.In this case, the method can include transmitting, for presenting via auser interface such as the browser 1806, an object 1908 with which auser can interact, wherein the object includes one of a button, adrop-down screen or a hyperlink (1840), receiving a click interaction bythe user with the object associated with a site, the click interactionindicating a user intent to make a purchase (1842), transmitting, basedon the click interaction and via a browser payment request applicationprogramming interface that defines a protocol for communicating paymentdata between the site and the browser, a request from the site for thepayment data stored on a user device 1804 in connection with thepurchase, the payment data being usable across multiple sites forpayment (1844) and receiving, at the site and via the browser paymentrequest application programming interface 1818, the payment data 1808(or secure data such as a token based on the payment data), wherein thepayment data can be used to process a payment for a product or deliverthe product associated with the purchase (1846). The merchant 1816 cansubmit the payment data or information received to a payment processorfor processing the purchase.

The browser API has a number of characteristics that can distinguish itfrom APIs between the site and a payment server, such as a PayPalscenario, and from general hypertext markup language (HTML) protocols.HTML is a markup language that web browsers use to interpret and composetext, images, and other material into visual or audible web pages. Webbrowsers will receive HTML documents from a Web server or from localstorage and then render those webpages. HTML generally describes thestructure of such webpages semantically and describes using hisprotocols. The instructions for the appearance of documents on thebrowser. Cascading style sheets and JavaScript can also be part of HTML.Default characteristics for every item of HTML markup are defined in thebrowser, and these characteristics can be altered or enhanced by the webpage designer's additional use of CSS. IN contrast, an applicationprogramming interface represents a set of subroutine definitions, tools,and protocols which outline a set of clearly defined structures forcommunication between various software components. It is an establishedAPI for communicating between a site, such as a merchant site, and thebrowser. As such, the browser must be programmed with the routines, datastructures, object classes, variables and/or remote calls to enable arespective site which desires to utilize the API to be able to makepayment request calls and receive the appropriate data via the API forprocessing payments. The browser API is not an HTML interface, nor is itan API that is designed for communication between the site and directlywith a network-based payment server or payment service. We note thatdisclosed herein is a process in which the browser can act as an agentand manage through other APIs between the browser and network-basedpayment services, the process of making a payment or providing paymentdata, such as tokenized data, to a merchant site. However, in thatscenario, the site does not need to make separate API calls to anetwork-based server because the browser is established as the agent tomanage the process, thus simplifying the communication for the site suchthat only calls through the browser API need to be made forauthentication, authorization, network-based processes, to occur. Thus,the API, which can be a set of HTTP request messages, along with adefinition of the structure of request messages and response messages,which can be established in an XML or JavaScript object notation format,is built into the browser enabling the browser to act as an agent forproviding authorized payment data, password data, login data, tokenizedpayment data, or to manage as an agent network-based payment processingor logging in processing, all through payment request or other callsmade from the site through the browser API. The browser API manages theflow of data between the browser and the site and enables the browser toseparately reach out for authentication, data, tokens, or other networkbased services. The API provides a consistent experience across paymentmethods, systems, platforms and merchants. Typical web based APIs havedefined interfaces between the site and a web service and a novelconcept disclosed herein is the new API that defines the architectureand programmable interface, data structures, and so forth, which arebuilt into a browser, such that the browser can receive paymentrequests, retrieve authorized payment data, respond to the request,whether the process be a payment process or a login process, such thatpayment or login processes can be simplified and unified across sites.

FIG. 19A illustrates example user interfaces for a pre-populatedmerchant shopping cart. In the first user interface 1900, the user hasentered the text “Buy ACME toaster 4.5” in the unified input field 1902of a web page in a browser. After hitting enter or clicking a searchbutton, the browser communicates with a server that has alreadynavigated to (or is currently in the process of navigating to) amerchant website to populate the shopping cart at the merchant websitewith the desired toaster. The server can hand off that browsing sessionto the browser to continue at a specific point in the checkout orshopping cart process, or can return a URL to the browser that is formedto go directly to a shopping cart that is populated based on the textentered in the unified input field. In this case, after hitting enter orclicking a search button, the browser navigates directly andautomatically to a merchant website 1904 listing the item already placedin the shopping cart, order details, and a one-click purchase button1908. Alternatively, the browser can navigate to a stage where the orderhas already been placed, such as the page that would load after the userclicks the purchase button 1908. Notably, the merchant has some brandingon screen 1904. Where the purchase button 1908 is used to process apayment using the stored payment information at the search engine site,as can be appreciated via the disclosure here, the coordination betweenthe payment processing on the search engine side of the API, and thedelivery being handled on the merchant side of the API, makes theprocess more simple and easy for the buyer, thus increasing the chancesthat a sale will occur.

Screen 1904 can also represent simple navigation on a merchant site by auser such that they get to the point where a user is committed to makinga purchase 1908. The click or otherwise interacting with a buy button1908 can initiate the communication through the browser API to requestand ultimately receive the necessary payment data for processing apayment.

The screen 1904 can be hosted by the search engine/social media siteand/or the merchant. The system can populate other details of theshopping cart automatically on behalf of the user, as well. The systemcan even create a new account at the merchant on behalf of the user, ifthe user does not have an account with that merchant. In this way, thesystem enables a user to access websites, through a unified searchfield, as if they were one-click purchase merchant websites, even if theuser has not previously registered with that merchant or if the merchantdoes not offer an “Amazon style” one-click purchase interface. Forexample, the first website entity associated with offering thegeneralized input field can process the payment for an item based onpayment account information it stores and coordinates with the merchanton finalizing delivery of the item.

In an app context, the screen 1904 can be presented after a user clickson a button 1902 in an app 1900. An API configured to controlcommunication between the app and a module that controls the userinterface 1904, as described herein, can be used to enable a simplifiedand safe purchasing process. The app would request payment data from themodule that controls the user interface, and the module that controlsthe user interface, for example, could retrieve payment data from thedevice and/or communicate with a network server to obtain authorizedpayment data to pass back to the app via the API protocol.

Site Personalization

FIGS. 19B-19D illustrate a novel approach to personalizing a websiteusing a browser-based application programming interface. The otherbrowser-based APIs disclosed herein typically focus on a payment processand simplifying that process. This section describes a correlatedconcept in which a browser-based API is implemented to exchangeinformation between the browser and the website can be made topersonalized the use experience when the user lands on the website suchthat adjustments.

The browser API in this regard defines a protocol or syntax to enablecommunication between a site and a browser in order to retrievepersonalized information, such that the site can be modified for thatuser. The API operates in a similar general manner to the paymentrequest API in the sense that it operates as an API between a site and abrowser. It could also work for apps as well. The API can communicateany kind of data that can be utilized to tailor that website for user.For example, a body model of the user, the user friend or family member,or other individual could be commuted catered to the site such that nosize options need to be presented. Assume the following example as shownin FIG. 19B. The user navigates to a site 1912 in which clothingproducts are sold or presented. At some point in the navigation process,the user will click on a button or choose an item in a drop-down menu,or even just navigate to the site to arrive at the site. The site 1912,because it sells clothing, can issue a body model request call via theAPI to the browser. The request is made using a protocol that isconfigured to enable a standardized description of data about the siteand communicate that information to the browser. For example, the sitemight be exclusive to men's clothing or children's clothing, or women'sshoes. Through communication of data between the site and the browser,negotiations can occur in which an appropriate body model associatedwith the user navigating to the site. For example, the user could set upwithin the browser, body models for him or herself, a spouse, children,friends, and so forth. Thus, if the site being navigated to is only forchildren's shoes, the browser may not send the body model for the fatheror mother to the site but might be able to only send the body model ofthe children which can include their shoe size as well as shoe or footshape (i.e., narrow, wide, etc.). Pictures can also be provided of eachperson in the body model such that as the body model is delivered to thesite, the presentation of closer shoes were accessories can be made in amodel can be shown to show the user how they will actually look wearingthe clothing.

Other data such as the name of the individual can be provided throughthe API such that there is no longer a choice of M, L, XL, etc. forclothing sizes, but merely a selection of people. For example, if theuser is shopping for his family and the body models of his family arecommunicated to a site, the user can navigate to basketball shoes, andhave the option of purchasing shoes for Johnny, Mary and Virginia. Thesecan be the names of his children or his wife or anybody associated withthe user. After receiving the personalized data, the site can bemodified essentially to be operational as a new site 1914 that istailored for the individual. FIG. 19B illustrates the default site 1922in the modified site 1924.

Using the modified site 1924, rather than picking a size, the userchooses the individual that is going to receive the shoes. The bodymodel has shared the shoe size and shape with the site and the site canuse. An algorithm, which can match the appropriate sizing of theclothing that it sells to match as closely as possible the proper sizewith the individual. Different manufacturers have different sizingratings, and thus this approach can be much more accurate. For example,a size 9 shoe from one manufacturer might not be quite the same as asize 9 shoe from a different manufacturer or from a different country.Thus, the use of the body model eliminates the need to know a shoe sizeand provides the capability of having much more confidence that apurchase made online will match the recipient's body size and shape.

The W3C “payment request API” standard is incorporated herein byreference as background material and infrastructure/protocol conceptsthat can be utilized for the body model API. This is not prior art tothe present application in that the priority document discloses the APIas well as the payment handler API concept.

Social media sites can also be used to share body models. For example,Facebook could store a body model associated with individuals that usethe site such that friends could share the underlying data of a bodymodel if a friend is shopping for another friend. Authorizations couldbe provided in which friends would authorize friends within theirnetwork at a certain level of closeness such that if one friend wantedto buy another friend close or shoes or hat, that they could get theright size. The browser can act as the user agent and can retrieve datafrom a network-based entity for personalizing the site. In one aspect,to navigate or to communicate with the database that can benetwork-based to retrieve social media based body models of friends thatcan then be communicated to the site via the API. For example, a userMary navigating to a site might arrive at a shirt she desires to buy fora friend John. John's body model is not stored in Mary's browser. Theoptional people that Mary could choose for the short size could includeherself, and her kids but not John. A button could be presented whichopens up a window for Mary to select from her social media friends thatshe wants to buy the shirt for. Communication can be made to herbrowser, to a network-based API database, and/or any other location, inwhich Mary's friends can be presented and she can choose John from thatgroup of friends. The social media site or some other database couldprovide John's body model. Either through the API or directly through anetwork-based communication, to the site, so that it can process thebody model, shirt size for John, and then present a button with John'sname on it, to enable Mary to select the shirt for John in theappropriate size.

The disclosure also covers the transmitting of a face with the bodymodel that can then be used for 3D modeling using the face to see whatpeople personally would look like. In this regard, via the APIconfiguration or protocol, a browser can send a part of a body modeldepending on what kind of clothing is sought. Thus, the data associatedwith the facial recognition component of a device can be transmitted tothe site such that such data could be utilized in a virtual reality oraugmented reality scenario, in order to enable a buyer to view how theymight look in a particular environment which can include clothing,accessories, furniture, homes, outdoors, or any environment.

In another aspect, typically the API disclosed herein for the purpose ofmanaging purchases is implemented after a user lands on a site,navigates to a product, and clicks on a purchasing button. In thisscenario, data is communicated via the protocol of the API between thebrowser and the site, in some scenarios, the user confirms the purchasevia facial recognition or fingerprint recognition or other biometric.The browser independently or in connection with the API or a separateAPI, makes indicate with a network server, which perform some part ofthe functionality. The browser then can transmit a token, payment data,address data, and so forth for the site to use to process a payment.There are some weaknesses in this approach, however. For example, if theuser were to then continue to serve the site for an additional product,they would have to go through the entire process again, clicking on abuy button, and providing a fingerprint for second purchase.

A novel aspect disclosed herein includes the application of the API ormultiple APIs closer to the beginning of the user landing on the site.An example scenario is as follows. A user navigates to a site that sellsclothing. When the user lands on the site and the basic communicationsare established between the browser and the site, the site can send aninquiry or request to the browser, identifying data associated with thesite. For example, the data may indicate that the site accepts ApplePay, Google Pay and Paypal. The site may identify that it sellsclothing, cars, books, or any data associated with the products. Thebrowser or a network-based entity, or the device, can store personalprofile information associated with the user and/or friends or familymembers of the user. For example, a body model of the user can be storedwithin the browser, on a secure element of the device, or thenetwork-based location. Personal preferences for various products can bestored as well. Purchasing history data can also be stored as well aspayment data in a secure element. Any kind of data that can be helpfulin terms of configuring the site for the particular user can be storedand passed in this API. Any use preferences for color, size, style,shape, brands, and so forth can be transmitted via the API as the userlands on the site and which can be used to change the user interface andpersonalize the user experience.

This process can also be expanded to the secure delivery of any kind ofdata to any device beyond payments. For example, the data can includehealthcare data for a user which needs to be provided to a health caresystem or a doctor's office, credential data to access data or a site ora building, banking data, government-related data, and so forth. Asimilar kind of storage of data, retrieval, encryption, andre-encryption, and delivery of data can occur. Where in one case arecipient is a merchant, a merchant identifier and validation processoccurs for the payment “session”. The system can include beginning adata exchange session to confirm or validate the recipient of the data,a request then can be transmitted having a certain protocol to asoftware module like a PassKit, browser, or other agent for managing theprocess. Data can be retrieved from a secure data location, encrypted,and then sent to a server for re-encryption based on a recipient ID suchthat a one-time token can be used to send the data to the recipient.This works for any data beyond just payment data. There may be variousways of providing encryption or security when using the underlying APIsdisclosed herein. In Apple Pay, a merchant ID, payment processingcertificate, merchant identity certificate, and a registration of thedomain with the network based entity, are all utilized in the process ofsecurely transmitting data. These concepts can be extended to apply toany entity that will receive any type of data through a single-use tokenor encrypted response. A bank, doctor, attorney, government entity,accountant, merchant, etc. could each register with a service, obtainthe proper ID's and certificates which would be relevant to therespective entity, and then perform an entity validation process, createsessions that can be timed out for transmitting data, and uponconfirmation, could send a data request to an agent as disclosed hereinand ultimately receive a token that can be decrypted or sent to a dataprocessor for decryption to obtain the secure data. The agent APIsdisclosed herein (which operate for browsers and software module oragents for use with apps) enable the entire process to transmit secureinformation of any type between any two types of devices, includingnodes, routers, client devices, servers, cameras, etc.

Other data such as a video file, audio file, pictures, or any kind ofdata could be transmitted as well. For example, a user could requestthat a photo or a video of them stored on their phone be encrypted intotheir secure element or retrieved from the device for encryption anddeliverance, such that it could be requested and sent securely usingthis process. An app or a process built into an operating system on adevice could enable a user to dynamically add data of any type to theirsecure element which could then be indexed or cataloged such that arequesting entity could obtain authorization through an authorizationsheet for the transmission of the data to the receiving entity using theoverall encryption process. An app or a site could perform a check thatthe device of the user contains the proper data (health care data,photo, etc.) and if so, could present a processing button such as “sendMary's Health Data” which, when clicked, causes a session to beinitiated to generate a request to the agent and receive a response withthe data, also utilizing an authorization sheet for the user to usebiometrics to approve of the transmission. The “canmakepayment” type ofquery can also identify particular data in a secure element, such as aphoto, health data, etc. prior to presenting the selection button. Thequery can be something like a “cansendXdata” in which the protocolallows “X” to mean health care data, a photo, a video, or any class ortype of data. The agent can confirm to the site or app that the softwaremodule is properly configured with the programming to utilize theapplication programming interface protocol and that the requested typeof data is available in the secure element or elsewhere on the device orstored locally or on a network and is available. Then the site or appcan present the “buy button” or offering button for the user to confirmthe data requested. The API can also be used to provide informationidentifying the data in the secure element to the site as well via anidentifier, such as “home photo 0012 available in SE (secure element)”.The software module could send information via the API about what datais stored in the secured element or available for transmission using thesecure process. The protocol could generically present that one or moreof payment data, a photo, a video, a document, healthcare data, a bodymodel, and so forth are available at the client device for transmissionto the site/app. The site/app can then determine what kinds of buttonsto present for authorization. Combined buttons could be used too, suchas “send healthcare record and pay $5”. The single use token couldcombine different types of data efficiently for decryption andprocessing. The user interface could present users with options on whichdata to send securely, such that the user can select payment data, plusa picture, plus their health records, and combine the chosen data in asingle secure encrypted data package that is sent.

The user might have searched a site or similar sites for vehicles,clothing or toys, etc. The browser can store and compile thatinformation such that when you land on a site, aspects of the historicaldata can be authorized by the user to be transmitted to the site.Accordingly, if a user has searched sites for a particular vehicle, withparticular characteristics such as a year, mileage range, price range,and so forth, when the user lands on a different site, the approachdisclosed herein provides a mechanism of data being communicated via anAPI to the new site such that it perhaps can pre-populate or modify itspresentation to the user to focus the experience on similar types ofvehicles, for example, or similar types of toys. Users in this scenarioshould more quickly be able to research and find products that aresimilar to what they have previously researched. Where an interfacemight be presented to the user, when the user lands on the site, theuser can also indicate that they are looking for a similar vehicle witha look for on cars.com, or they can indicate that they do not want thisdata communicated to the site. Thus, users can become familiar with theprocess and recognize the level to which a site might be tailored fortheir own personal use and can choose whether to have an un-modifiedsite or modified site in a particular way.

In one example, assume a user has searched for an old used truck and anew sports car. These two search histories can be stored at a location,such as the browser, a network-based storage location, or the device.The user lands on cars.com to do some additional research. An interfacecan be presented, as managed by the browser, which can ask whether theuser wants the truck search data or the sports car search datacommunicated to the site. The user might want to continue with lookingfor the sports car. The user can then simply select that option, and thesearch defaults on cars.com might be pre-populated or preconfigured fornewer vehicles and sporty vehicles. Of course any product or producthistory example can be incorporated into this process. In this scenario,the user can then begin their navigation of the site as though the userhad entered in search terms such as a year range, a manufacturer, aprice range, or any other type of search data on the site. The site canbe landed on by the user in a more advanced state that normally wouldoccur in which the user simply went to www.merchant.com and started tonavigate from scratch. Sites can also include their default mode inwhich no data is retrieved and the user must navigate from a beginningpoint.

Continuing with the example, the sites may request from the browser, abody model and color preferences associated with the user who is justlanded on the site. An interface can be presented as part of thisinitial interaction in which the user authorizes the communication ofthis personal information to the site. This can be similar to an ApplePay authorization, or any other type of authorization. Assume in thisexample, that the browser response to the request by transmitting a bodymodel identifying the user, which can include facial characteristics, aswell as optional other types of data such as favorite colors, or dataassociated with purchasing histories. Any combination of data can beretrieved and prepared for deliverance to the site.

In the payment scenario, a one-time token is used by the site to processa single payment. Similar types of security can be implemented into this“other data” the can be transmitted to the site. For example, the userwould not likely want their body model maintained or stored on the site.In this regard, a tokenized version of the body model might be deliveredto the site for a single session of the user with the site. In onescenario, a virtualized instance of the site might be generated whichutilizes the personal information to personalize the site for the user'sinteractions. Thus, the user would no longer see a choice of S, M, L, XLshirts but would merely see the option to choose a shirt for John orMary. The user knew would no longer see an option to buy shoes with arequirement to select a shoe size, amongst ten different sizes. Again,one issue with buying clothes online is that one manufacturers 9.5 maleshoe size will differ from another manufacturers 9.5 male show size. Bytransmitting body model data associated with the user, the site canprocess that body model data, and convert or compare the body model datato its clothing sizes, and make a determination of the closest or bestfit size for the user. Where the body model might not perfectly fit, thesite can offer “John large” or “John small” sizes, which can give a hintas to whether the clothing would feel larger or smaller, given theirsize is. The site can run an algorithm, which can compare data withinthe body model with their sizes of clothing which can also be modeled.The personal data transmitted to the site of course would include theuser's name, emoticons, icons, or any other data that might beincorporated or blended into the user's experience with the site.

In one scenario, information is simply used to modify the site for thatuser and then the information is discarded after the user makes apurchase or leaves the site. However, where this requires the user totrust the site not to store the personal information, an alternateapproach can include one-time use tokenized personalized data which iseliminated or destroyed and which cannot be maintained by the site. Forexample, the model might have a timing element in which is only usablefor ½ hour. If the user is still navigating the site, the model may beenabled for another ½ hour. In another aspect, if the user werenavigating the site in the normal manner, the user would be providing ashoe size or shirt size in any event, and thus sharing of such sizeinformation may not be worrisome to users.

Where the site is modified, however, for the particular user, theconcept of spawning a virtualized version of the site that is modifiedto provide user names and specific user sizes of products can beimplemented. In this scenario, the user interacts with the virtualizedsite personalized for them and upon leaving the site, the virtualizedinstance of the site can be deleted. Thus, this scenario include severaloptional components, such as merely passing body size or other personalinformation through an API at the beginning of interaction with thesite, which causes the sites to be modified according to the personaldata such that the site no longer presents size information associatedwith clothing purchases. Other data that can be eliminated from the sitecan be color choices as well as some product choices based on thepersonal information that is passed.

In the payment aspect, this approach can enhance the payment experience.This can primarily be due to the fact that a biometric authorization, orother authorization is provided at the beginning of the process and canbe applied across multiple purchases. In this scenario, a fingerprint,for example, has already been recently retrieved from the device andtheir or can be applied to multiple purchases at different times. Thisapproach can also help in utilizing shopping carts where items can beplaced in shopping carts or a shopping cart and a one click purchase,can occur in which the final purchasing and payment process can beessentially preauthorized by the fingerprint or biometric authorizationthat was provided when the user landed on the site. Thus, imagine a userlanding on a www.merchant.com site, and the site requests and receivesthrough an application programming interface that is configured tocommunicate personal data between the site and the browser, and whereinthe user authorizes the communication of data from the browser to thesite via a variety of mechanisms including fingerprint or facialrecognition.

The user then can then navigate the site to a product 1920, such as abook or a hat, and see a one click purchasing option 1916. The user canclick on that buy button to make the purchase 1916. Because thefingerprint authorization has already been provided and maintained, apayment token, or other payment data, or PayPal-like approach can beimplemented for making the purchase without the need of a fingerprintauthorization at that time. The end result can be a finished purchase1918 without the need for a separate fingerprint authorization for eachpurchase on the site. This approach adds a timing element to maintaininga fingerprint authorization to be associated with a session at a site.It is contemplated that if the user navigates to a new site, that thefingerprint authorization would be canceled for the earlier site. If thefingerprint authorization is maintained, the user can browse to a firstproduct, and make a purchase by clicking a buy button without the needof providing a biometric authentication. Items can be placed in ashopping cart and purchased via one or two clicks but all beingassociated with the same authorization action. By staying on the samesite, the user could then purchase a second product by clicking on thebuy button, again without needing to provide biometric authorization. Inthis regard, where multiple purchases are made on a single site, thisapproach can improve the purchasing experience.

In one aspect, as the user lands on a site, an interface managed by thebrowser could be presented in which preselected or negotiated sets ofdata can be transmitted to the site and authorized. For example, awindow could be presented (much like a payment request API or Apple Paywindow), in which the user can see the body model for them as well as abody model for their wife and color preferences are being communicatedto the site as well as a pre-authentication for purchases. Thus, theuser can authenticate and authorize the communication of that data andunderstand that there bio metrics authorization will apply to laterpurchases on the site.

In another aspect, social media data and/or machine learning data can beutilized to strategically identify what data should be communicated tothe site via the API. For example, if it is your wife's birthday, orchild's birthday, or a mother's birthday, and so forth, the system mayutilize the API or another API that is communicating with anetwork-based server, or social media site that stores such data toretrieve additional body models, or additional personalized informationfor specific people in your social group. A manual approach could alsobe presented in such an interface as one lands on the site in which theuser could choose from a contact list for personalized information offriends or family. A social networking site like Facebook could holdsuch personal information and share that information with friends forthe purpose of enabling sites to be modified and personalized for auser. Thus, the site may receive body model data for the user browsingthe site, their best friend Mary and their dad Doug. This may be anautomatic selection of a group of individuals or might be manual. As theuser navigates the site for products, the site could present options topurchase the dress for Mary or the book for Doug and/or Mary. The sitemight present a pair of jeans with options for the user to buy the pairfor Mary or for Doug. The site could present a graphical representationof how individuals would look in the clothing as well. The namespresented for selection might be the most probable names of who you areshopping for which can be based on characteristics or data such as thetype of site (women's clothes or men's clothes), social media data,calendar data (friend's wedding in two weeks), and so forth. In oneexample, the user might also be presented with an option to see sizeoptions as well on the site.

Body models of families or friends could be retrieved and also stored ona browser or accessed from a network-based source via an API or someother mechanism. Of course, individuals may store a body model on asocial networking site, or other site and authorize their friends orfamily to access the body model, in certain circumstances, such aswhether they are purchasing clothing for the individual. Where giftsmight desire be desired to be surprises, the system can enable the userto authorize sharing the body model body model for their friends orfamily in general and understand or acknowledge that they may notreceive a notice of the sharing of the body model as long as it is withsomeone authorized by the user.

The browser in this scenario essentially acts as an agent between thesite, the user, and the user's personal information, as well as familyor friends personal information which can include a network-basedcommunication component like the Payment Handler API does for paymentservices. The site receives the body model data and converts it intotheir own sizes and then presents clothing by name to the user for amore personalized shopping experience.

In another aspect, the site may transfer some data associated with aproduct back through the API to the browser. A virtual reality engine,or an augmented reality engine on the device can receive the dataassociated with the product, and utilize that data to create a virtualreality or augmented reality experience. In the clothing example, theuser might be able to access the selfie camera on a mobile device and gointo a selfie mode and actually look at themselves utilizing the selfiecamera and have the clothing that they are shopping for presented in anaugmented reality scenario on them. The user can then see how they mightlook in the cloths using their own phone, to get a sense of what theywould look like in the cloths they are interested in buying. Of courseis can apply to jewelry, furniture, or any other item that can bepresented visually. You could also see a graphic showing how theindividual would look on the clothing or sitting on the furniture. Thebody model can also be used to show you the furniture might look withthe specific user sitting on it or how much a bed might adjust when youlie down on it.

In this regard, there can be extra coordination between the site and thedevice utilizing the following steps. For example, the site can includea button selectable to view the clothing on the person in selfie mode.If the user were to click on that button, the site could passinformation about the particular clothing item through the API to thebrowser. The browser can initiate a selfie augmented reality module,which could automatically coordinate the received clothing data from thesite with the visual data about the user in connection with starting thecamera function on the device and placing it automatically in selfiemode. Thus, by a single click on the site by the user, the user canessentially instantly be placed in their camera application in selfiemode where they can view themselves wearing the clothing to get a senseof how it might look. The system can also incorporate a buy button intothat interface such that if the user desires to make the purchase afterviewing the clothing in their selfie mode, a single click can affirmthat they want to purchase the clothing item (or other item). Or theuser can add the cloths to a shopping cart.

In such a scenario, where the user is essentially in a cameraapplication on the device, the camera application can identify that theuser has confirmed that they would like to purchase the clothing item,and the camera application can communicate with the browser thatconfirmation. The browser can then communicate the confirmation of thepurchase via the API to the site which, in this scenario, has alreadyreceived the biometric preauthorization for purchases. In other words,the system can coordinate between the browser, the site, and the cameraapp to enable in each and easy purchasing process after the user viewsclothing on them in a selfie augmented reality mode.

FIG. 19C further illustrates the use of this API. In this example,assume a browser 1930 is directed to a site.com 1912. Features 1936represent the user navigating to the site and the site communicatingdata back to the browser. This communication would occur through thedefined syntax of the API. For example, the site may request aconfirmation that the browser can communicate personalized data to thesite for modifying the site interface. Feature 1938 represents anexample where the browser is incompatible or does not have the APIfunctionality. In order to tailor the site for the user. In that case,the site simply communicates in a default mode with the browser 1930.

Feature 1940 and 1944 represent a scenario where the browser is programsto implement the API and is compatible such that data can be sent to thesite 1912 for tailoring the site for the user. Feature 1944 representsthe browser 1930, reaching out, a requesting data from a network-baseddatabase. 1932 which can provide additional data about the user, user'sfriends or family, or other data which can be communicated through theAPI to the sites 1912. The gathered data from the browser and/or thenetwork-based site is transmitted to the site 1912 and then transmittedto the new site 1914. The mechanism by which the new site is implementedin which the user is transitioned to the new site 1914 can vary. Forexample, the original site. 1914 may simply have some graphical andfunctional elements modified as HTML, data is communicated to thebrowser 1930. In another aspect, a new site is initiated and the user istransitioned to the new site seamlessly such that the user interactswith the new site, or the new instance of the site. In any event, thesite is personalized for the user, as described herein.

When the user decides to make a purchase, the browser payment API can beutilized as well such as the payment request can be transmitted from thesites 1914 to the browser 1930. The browser 1930 can optionally requesta payment from a payment service 1934 which can provide payment data orconfirmation back to the browser 1930. The browser 1930 can provide datato the upgraded site 1914.

As can be appreciated, there is a timing element with respect to thebiometric or other authorization in the above scenario. The biometricauthorization can be received at a first time when the user lands on asite. The biometric authorization can be like a preauthorization of apurchase or an authorization to communicate personalized data to thesite for modifying the site in a personal way. Then, at a later timeafter the first time, the user may click on a buy button on the site. Itis preferable that it is part of a same session of the user navigatingon the site. When the user clicks on the buy button, the previousbiometric authorization is applied, such that payment data can be eitherreceived by the site for processing or a network-based payment entitycan process a payment as though the user had provided the properauthorization at the time of clicking the payment button. Thus, wheretokens are used, the same tokenized one use package can be delivered viathe API to the site at the time of the user clicking the purchasebutton, a worthy authorization or biometric indication of the useroccurred prior to the user clicking the purchase button.

The profile data can be any kind of personal preferences or data. Forexample, if the user does not have a Kindle device, such data might becommunicated to the site via the API. Kindle options, then, would notlikely be presented to the user for selection. The user might preferhardback books, rather than paperback books. All such preferences can becommunicated via the API to the site as the user lands on the site suchthat modification or tailoring of the site can be made for that user.Using these procedures, less non-relevant options will be presented tousers and the user's experience online will be greatly enhanced and lesscluttered. This can also include payment choices. For example, at thistime, the user could communicate or the browser could communicate thatthe user only uses Apple pay or Google pay. Only these options can bethen presented to the user when a purchasing moment is arrived at whennavigating the site. Body models, color choices, size choices, paymentoptions, or any other data, for the user, for friends or family, and sofor the user can be communicated to the site via a browser applicationprogramming interface, at a timing associated with when the user landson the site and typically prior to a purchasing decision. The user canthen interact with the site and a much more efficient and tailored way.

FIG. 19 D illustrates an example method embodiment. The method can bepracticed by the browser or device operating the browser, anetwork-based entity, or the merchant site. The method includesreceiving, at a site and from a browser, a request to access the site(1950), establishing via an API defined between the site and the browserthat the browser has personalized data for a user, which can be used tomodify the site (1952), modifying a configuration of the site accordingto the personalized data received via the API to yield a new site (1954)interacting with the browser utilizing the new site (1956) and managinga payment process for product sold from the new site, based on anauthorization provided by the user when the user landed on the site(1958).

The pre-authorization of purchases on the site or use a personal data onthe site can be limited in time for security purposes. For example, ifthe user lands on a site and walks away from their computer, havingprovided authorization for making purchases on a site, the user wouldnot want a second person to jump on the site and make purchases withouttheir knowledge. Machine learning algorithms can be trained to identifyuser activity, particularly after authorizing communication of personaldata to a site and pre-authorizing purchases. A re-authorization mightneed to occur, after a timeout period, or a trigger based on userinteraction, motion detection, facial recognition, and so forth whichcan identify a risk that a user currently interacting with the site isnot the original user that landed on the site and provided theauthorization. The data sent to the site via the API can be encrypted,tokenized, parameterized, anonymized, and so forth such that apersonalized version of the site can be spun up as a new site and usedto interact with the user, after which the new site can be deleted ordecommissioned. The site would not store your personal information butit would be one-time use. The tokenized payment data may be sent at theend after a user is checking out of using a shopping cart or interactingwith a buy button even though the authorization was provided in terms oftiming when the user landed on the site.

In one aspect, as the user lands on the site, a dialog can be initiatedto determine which personal information is to be communicated to thesite. The construction of the dialog can be based on machine learning orintelligence gathered about the user, life events upcoming for the user,past events (i.e., a death in the family), or other data which can beused to configure a request for a certain set of personalizedinformation that is both relevant to the products or services offered bythe site and relevant to the user's current situation. The interface caninclude a listing of likely body models, anonymizing options (don't sendreal names but send nicknames or labels like mom or data), and so forthof people that might be relevant to you that you will shop for. Anoption can be presented as well to just use the default site. All thiscan operate to enhance the personal experience with any site inparticularly for sites where users have to choose a size or color orstyle of product or service. In one aspect, for example, if the userrequests that the site receives a male body model, just for the user,the site might eliminate or render less prominent children's clothing,women's clothing, or other content that is less relevant to thepersonalized data that was transmitted to the site. This can alsoinclude a payment option in which the user selects a payment mechanism,as they land on the site which can then cause the site to only simplypresent a buy button without payment options throughout inasmuch asGoogle Pay or Apple Pay or PayPal are requested and a preauthorizationis provided at the beginning.

Using Two APIs to Manage a Payment Process

Another aspect disclosed herein relates to the coordination between afirst API 1818 and a second API 1812, both of which interface with abrowser 1806 in a correlated way to manage a payment process. Theapproach enables purchasing on a site 1816 to be more like an Amazon.com“one-click” purchasing experience when the user is not registered anddoes not have an account at the site 1816. In some cases, a user canhave a Paypal account but they still must login to that account to makea payment. The coordination of the APIs 1812, 1818 and the browser 1806acting as an agent between the site 1816 and the payment provider 1810can simplify the purchasing process. A method in this regard is shown inFIG. 18D and includes receiving input from a user indicating a desire topurchase a product from a merchant site 1816 (1850). The input can be aclick, voice input as part of a dialog, virtual reality input, or anykind of input. The method includes receiving, based on the input, at abrowser 1806 and via a first application programming interface 1818 thatdefines a first protocol between the browser 1806 and the merchant site1816, a payment request from the merchant site for payment data of theuser for purchasing the product (1852).

In response to the payment request, the method includes communicating,from the browser 1806 and via a second application programming interface1812 that defines a second protocol for communicating paymentinformation between the browser 1806 and a payment service 1810, apayment request event to the payment service 1810, wherein the paymentservice 1810 can process a payment for the product based on the paymentrequest event (1854). The method includes receiving, at the browser 1806and from the payment service 1810 and via the second applicationprogramming interface 1812, a confirmation of the payment for theproduct (1856) and communicating, from the browser 1806 and via thefirst application programming interface 1818 to the merchant site 1816,the confirmation of the payment for the product (1858). The paymentservice 1810 can be a service like Paypal, a Google payment service orany other payment service or payment processor. The approach enables acommon interface between the merchant 1816 and a payment service 1810utilizing the browser 1806 and several APIs 1812, 1818 in a new mannerto simplify the purchasing process for users that are signed up for sucha service or utilize such as service.

The first application programming interface 1818 can define the firstprotocol for communicating at least one of payment data and address databetween the browser 1806 and the merchant site 1816. The secondapplication programming interface 1812 can include the second protocolfor communicating data associated with payment of the product betweenthe browser 1806 and the payment service 1810. The payment requestfurther can include a request for an address of the user and/or forother data associated with the user or associated with the purchase.Thus, the payment could be performed by the payment service provider1810 and the address could be provided by the browser through the firstAPI 1818.

The method can further include, based on the payment request,transmitting from the browser 1806 and through the first applicationprogramming interface 1818, the address of the user 1808 to the merchantsite 1816 for use in delivering the product to the user. The firstapplication programming interface 1818 can include a browser paymentrequest application programming interface in that it involves a requestfrom the merchant site 1816 for payment data and/or other dataassociated with the user. The second application programming interface1812 can be called a payment handler application programming interfacein that it more specifically involves payment handling by the paymentprocessor 1810. This aspect of the disclosure can also have embodimentsfrom the standpoint of the merchant as well as from the standpoint ofthe payment processor.

FIG. 18E illustrates this aspect of the disclosure from the standpointof the payment processor 1810. A method includes receiving, based oninput from a user indicating a desire to purchase a product from amerchant site 1816 and based on a browser 1806 receiving, at the browser1806 and via a first application programming interface 1818 that definesa first protocol between the browser 1806 and the merchant site 1816, apayment request from the merchant site 1816 for payment data 1808 of theuser for purchasing the product, a payment request event at a paymentservice 1810, wherein the payment request event is received from thebrowser 1806 and via a second application programming interface 1812that defines a second protocol for communicating payment informationbetween the browser 1806 and the payment service 1810 (1860),processing, at the payment service 1810, a payment for the product basedon the payment request event (1862) and transmitting, to the browser1806, from the payment service 1810 and via the second applicationprogramming interface 1812, a confirmation of the payment for theproduct, wherein the browser 1806 communicates, via the firstapplication programming interface 1818 to the merchant site 1816, theconfirmation of the payment for the product (1864). In this approach,the merchant is not using their own payment processor 1820 as wouldoccur if the merchant 1816 were receiving payment account data or atoken for processing the purchase. Since the purchase is being performedby the payment service 1810, the merchant 1816 needs that confirmationthat the purchase is complete. The payment service can utilize storedpayment data 1814 and/or an account of the user. Thus, payment serviceslike Stripe, Google.com, BrainTree, Amazon.com, Paypal, etc. can berepresented by payment services 1810. Because the user can be loggedinto their browser, or a Google account (email, youtube, etc.), theuser's credentials can be utilized to login to any specific account thatis used for payment without the user manually entering in their accountdata.

A method performed from the standpoint of the merchant site is shown inFIG. 18F. The method includes receiving input from a user indicating adesire to purchase a product from a merchant site 1816 (1870) andtransmitting, based on the input, to a browser 1806 and via a firstapplication programming interface 1818 that defines a first protocolbetween the browser 1806 and the merchant site 1816, a payment requestfrom the merchant site 1816 for payment data of the user for purchasingthe product (1872), wherein (1) the browser 1806, in response to thepayment request, communicates, from the browser 1806 and via a secondapplication programming interface 1812 that defines a second protocolfor communicating payment information between the browser 1806 and apayment service 1810, a payment request event to the payment service1810, (2) the payment service 1810 can process a payment for the productbased on the payment request event and (3) the browser 1806 receives,via the payment service 1810 and via the second application programminginterface 1812, a confirmation of the payment for the product. Themethod includes receiving, from the browser 1806, at the merchant site1816 and via the first application programming interface 1818, theconfirmation of the payment for the product (1874).

Any communication amongst the browser, a payment service, and themerchant site using the various APIs disclosed can be part of thisdisclosure to achieve a one-click type purchasing experience by the userat the merchant site. 1816.

Additional concepts regarding a payment processor processing a paymentto a site are discussed next. In one aspect, a method includesreceiving, at a browser and via a browser payment request applicationprogramming interface that defines a first protocol for communicatinginformation about purchases between a site and the browser, a paymentrequest having data associated with a purchase of a product from thesite for a user and, based on the payment request, transmitting, fromthe browser and via a browser payment handler application programminginterface that defines a second protocol for communicating data betweenthe browser and a payment service, a request to process a payment forthe product to the payment service. The method according to this aspectcan include receiving, at the browser and via the browser paymenthandler application programming interface, a confirmation, from thepayment service, that the payment service has processed the payment forthe product to the site.

The method can further include transmitting the confirmation receivedfrom the payment service from the browser and via the payment requestapplication programming interface to the site. The method can furtherinclude transmitting, from the browser and via the payment requestapplication programming interface, address information for the user tothe site for delivering the product to the user.

A method from a viewpoint of a payment processor perspective caninclude, based on a payment request received at a browser and via abrowser payment request application programming interface that defines afirst protocol for communicating information about purchases between asite and the browser, the payment request having data associated with apurchase of a product from the site for a user, receiving, from thebrowser, at a payment service and via a browser payment handlerapplication programming interface that defines a second protocol forcommunicating data between the browser and the payment service, arequest to process a payment for the product and transmitting, to thebrowser and via the browser payment handler application programminginterface, a confirmation, from the payment service, that the paymentservice has processed the payment for the product to the site.

From the site context, an example method can include transmitting, froma site, to a browser and via a browser payment request applicationprogramming interface that defines a first protocol for communicatinginformation about purchases between the site and the browser, a paymentrequest having data associated with a purchase of a product from thesite for a user and receiving a payment for the product from a paymentservice, wherein the payment is received based on the browsertransmitting, based on the payment request, from the browser and via abrowser payment handler application programming interface that defines asecond protocol for communicating data between the browser and thepayment service, a request to process the payment for the product to thepayment service. The method can also include receiving, from the browserand via the browser payment request application programming interface, aconfirmation, initiated from the payment service, that the paymentservice has processed the payment for the product to the site. Themethod can also include receiving, from the browser and via the paymentrequest application programming interface, address information for theuser at the site for delivering the product to the user.

In an app context, the device 1804 will have an application downloadedand which is programmed to make calls to an API that is configuredwithin a module that controls a user interface 1806. For example, theuser interface 1806 might be used to view the app or to view data forthe purpose of managing a payment process. Therefore, rather than beingbetween the merchant site 1816 and the browser, the API is configuredbetween an app on the device and a module that is configured to controla user interface 1806. When a user clicks on a buy button in the app,the app transmits a request to the module configured to control the userinterface 1806, which then manages the payment process as shown in FIG.18A. For example, the module configured to control the user interface1806 could retrieve data from a storage location 1808 on the device,could communicate data from the module configured to control the userinterface 1806 according to an API 1812 to a network-based paymentservice 1810, which can return authorized payment data to theapplication via the module configured to control the user interface1806.

The provisional application No. 61/972,879, filed Mar. 31, 2014,explains that product searches can be from websites or applicationsdownloaded on devices. Thus, the “site” 1816 shown in FIG. 18A can alsobe an application on the device 1804, and the basic operation of thevarious APIs for obtaining, encrypting, generating, and/or transmittingauthorized payment data also apply in an app context.

Multiple Payment Options

FIG. 18G discloses another aspect of this disclosure related toproviding a choice of payment methods. The method includes, in thisaspect, receiving, at a browser and via a browser payment requestapplication programming interface that defines a protocol forcommunicating information about purchases between a site and thebrowser, a payment request having data associated with a purchase of aproduct from the site for a user (1880), presenting via the browser or abrowser interface, a choice between a first payment method and a secondpayment method for purchasing the product, wherein the first paymentmethod and the second payment method each include or require one ofpayment data stored on a user device, payment data stored on a networkserver, and a payment service (1882), receiving a selection of a paymentmethod from the user of one of the first payment method and the secondpayment method to yield a selected payment method (1884) and, based onthe selected payment method, and in response to the payment request,transmitting, from the browser and via the browser payment requestapplication programming interface, data associated with the selectedpayment method to the site (1886).

The method can include, when the selected payment method includes thepayment service, the steps of, based on the payment request and theselected payment method, transmitting, from the browser and via abrowser payment handler application programming interface that defines asecond protocol for communicating data between the browser and a paymentservice, a request to process a payment for the product to the paymentservice and receiving, at the browser and via the browser paymenthandler application programming interface, a confirmation, from thepayment service, that the payment service has processed the payment forthe product such that the site gets paid.

The method can also include transmitting the confirmation (or otherdata) received from the payment service from the browser and via thepayment request application programming interface to the site. Themethod can also include, when the selected payment method includes thepayment data stored on the user device, performing the step, based onthe payment request and the selected payment method, transmitting, fromthe browser and via the browser payment request application programminginterface, responsive data to the site, the responsive data being basedon the payment data stored on the user device.

The responsive data can include a token generated based on the paymentdata stored on the user device, the token being usable to process apurchase of the product by the site. The site can process the paymentfor the product using the payment data. When the selected payment methodincludes the payment data stored on the network server, the method canfurther include, based on the payment request and the selected paymentmethod, transmitting, from the browser and via the browser paymentrequest application programming interface, the payment data stored onthe network server to the site. The payment data can be communicatedthrough one or more APIs associated with the browser to the site forprocessing.

The method can also include transmitting, from the browser and via thepayment request application programming interface, address information(or any other information) for the user to the site for delivering theproduct to the user. In one aspect, the other information could includea clothing size, show size, shirt size, pant size, etc. such that usercould simply shop for the shoes they want and buy them. There would beno need to even choose the size even their own size. The shoes wouldjust come in their proper size in that the user's size is passed throughthe API.

This concept of multiple payment options from the standpoint of the sitecan include transmitting, to a browser and via a browser payment requestapplication programming interface that defines a protocol forcommunicating information about purchases between a site and thebrowser, a payment request having data associated with a purchase of aproduct from the site for a user,

-   -   presenting via a browser interface, a choice between a first        payment method and a second payment method for purchasing the        product, wherein the first payment method and the second payment        method each include or require one (or more of) of payment data        stored on a user device, payment data stored on a network        server, and a payment service, receiving a selection of a        payment method from the user of one of the first payment method        and the second payment method to yield a selected payment method        and, based on the selected payment method, and in response to        the payment request, receiving, from the browser and via the        browser payment request application programming interface, data        associated with the selected payment method to the site.

The data associated with the selected payment method can include one ofpayment data for the site to process a payment to purchase the productor a confirmation that the payment to purchase the product was performedby a payment service.

From the standpoint of the payment processor, the method can include thefollowing concepts. Based on (1) a payment request received at a browserand via a browser payment request application programming interface thatdefines a first protocol for communicating information about purchasesbetween a site and the browser, the payment request having dataassociated with a purchase of a product from the site for a user, andbased on (2) a user selection of a payment method from a plurality ofpayment methods presented via a user device, the payment methodrequiring a payment processor to process the purchase of the product,the method can include receiving, from the browser, at the paymentservice and via a browser payment handler application programminginterface that defines a second protocol for communicating data betweenthe browser and the payment service, a request to process the paymentfor the product, processing the payment for the product by the paymentservice to yield a payment confirmation and transmitting, from thepayment service to the browser and via the browser payment handlerapplication programming interface, the payment confirmation.

The browser can transmit the payment confirmation (or related data) tothe site via the browser payment request application programminginterface. In another variation of this concept form the view of thebrowser, the method can include receiving, in connection with a purchaseof a product, a payment request at a browser and via a browser paymentrequest application programming interface which defines a protocol forcommunicating data between a merchant site and the browser for managingpayments, presenting, via a user interface, a first payment method and asecond payment method, receiving a selection via the user interface ofthe first payment method or the second payment method to yield a chosenpayment method and transmitting payment information, in response to thepayment request, from the browser and via the browser payment requestapplication programming interface, the payment information beingassociated with the chosen payment method.

The payment information can include payment data for use by the merchantsite for processing a purchase. The payment information can include aconfirmation that the payment has been processed by a payment processor.

The method can further include communicating, from the browser and via abrowser payment handler application programming interface which definesa protocol for communicating data between the browser and the paymentprocessor, information to the payment processor for processing thepayment. The method can also include receiving confirmation informationat the browser and via the browser payment handler applicationprogramming interface, the confirmation information confirming that thepayment processor has successfully made a payment for the product to themerchant site.

Credential Management API

Next is disclosed an example application programming interface orinterfaces for communicating login credentials, such as name and/orpassword, for a site. FIG. 18H illustrates this example from thestandpoint of the browser 1806. A method includes receiving, from a site1816, at a browser 1806 and via a browser credential managementapplication programming interface 1818 that defines a protocol forcommunicating data between the site 1816 and the browser 1806 forenabling a user 1802 to login to the site 1816, a request associatedwith a login credential required for the site (1890), retrieving, basedon the request, user data 1808/1814 (1892) and transmitting, to the site1816, from the browser 1806 and via the browser credential managementapplication programming interface 1818, a response to the request(1894). An example API is disclosed as API 1818 in FIG. 18A. Retrievingthe user data can include the browser 1806, retrieving the data from alocal storage 1808 or retrieving the user data 1814 using API 1812between the browser 1806 and a network-based server 1810. The user datacould include various accounts or methods of providing user credentials.For example, one method could be to use a username and password storedwith the browser or accessible by the browser 1806. Another method couldbe a credential service, separate account, or network device that couldbe accessed by the browser 1806 or the site 1816. The user could bepresented with an option (visual interface, spoken interface orinteraction, text, multi-modal interface, etc.) to choose which approachto use for login. With the chosen approach, the API 1818 could be usedto pass credential data from the browser 1806 to the site 1816 or from anetwork device 1810 to the site 1816, according to the chosen method andaccording to an API 1818 or any standardized protocol. Such a site 1810could be an identity provider that will authorize the user and that thesite can trust to be correct. Such providers could be, for example,Google, Facebook, or any other entity. The interface could also providea choice amongst different users as well. The communicated data could bea token or tokens for security or the username and/or password directly.

The purpose of the browser credential management API 1818 is to enable asite 1816 to easily retrieve login credentials such as one or more of ausername, a password, a code, or any other data. The authentication ofthe user could also be performed in connection with receiving biometrics, such as a fingerprint. The site 1816 communicates through API1818 for the purpose of retrieving the login credentials. The process ofcommunicating requests and responses and/or other data via the API 1818can include any combination or coordination between API 1818 as itcommunicates with the browser 1806 or a network server 1810 as well asany communication between a network server 1810 and the browser 1806 viaAPI 1812. In practice, these APIs will generally involve protocols forthe site 1816 to request data, transmit data and receive data in certainformats ultimately for receiving login credentials for a user to loginto the site 1816. The site 1816 will use the credentials and/or tokensit receives in its login flow to enable the user to login in with one ora few clicks (or not clicks if it is automatic), thus relieving the userof the need to type in a username, a password, or any other credentials.The site 1816, for example, may authenticate the user on the site or viaa call to another server. All of such details associated with suchprotocols are considered within the scope of this disclosure.

The response can include at least one of a user name and a password, orother data such as an iris scan, a fingerprint, a code, or anycombination of such data. At least one of the username and the password,or other data, is stored with the browser, in one aspect. The data couldalso be stored in a network node. The response can indicate that anetwork-based entity will provide credential data for logging into thesite. In this regard, the site can access, via a second applicationprogramming interface between the site and a network based entity, thecredential data for the user to login to the site. API 1818 shown inFIG. 18A can represent the API between the site. 1816 and a networkserver 1810, which stores the user data 1814. API 1812 could also beused, to retrieve login credentials by the browser 1806 and from anetwork entity 1810. Any combination or coordination of communication ofdata and information between API 1818, browser 1806, API 1812 and anetwork entity 1810 is contemplated is within the scope of thisdisclosure. For example, the site eighteen sixteen may request throughAPI 1818 login credentials, via the browser 1806. However, the user mayhave a network service 1810 that stores the login credentials 1814.Accordingly, in response to the request, the sites 1816 may be directedto a network credential provider 1810 through an API. 1818 to retrievethe user data 1814.

In one aspect, the method includes receiving a change in a usercredential via the browser credential management application programminginterface. In this scenario, the user may be seeking to login to thesite 1816, and may provide a changed password or updated credentials.The API 1818 can be utilized to transmit the updated login credentialsto the browser 1806 for storage and later use. One or more of API 1818and/or API 1812 could also be used to communicate updated logincredentials to a network entity 1810.

The credential management API 1818 could also be viewed from theprocessing occurring on the sites 1816. In this aspect, a methodincludes transmitting, from a site 1816, to a browser 1806 and via abrowser credential management application programming interface 1818that defines a protocol for communicating data between the site 1816 andthe browser 1806 for enabling a user to login to the site, a requestassociated with a login credential required for the site and receiving,at the site 1816, from the browser 1806 and via the browser credentialmanagement application programming interface 1818, a response to therequest.

The response can indicate that a network-based entity 1810 will providecredential data for logging into the site. The method can furtherinclude requesting, via a second application programming interface 1818between the site 1816 and a network based entity 1810, the credentialdata for the user to login to the site. The secondary API could alsoinclude API 1812, which operates and communicates requests andresponses, or other data between the browser 1806 and the network entity1810. The method can include transmitting a change in a user credentialvia the browser credential management application programming interface.

The response can include at least one of a username, password, and/orother credential data which can be utilized by the site 1816 to apply toa login procedure on the site 1816 to login the user 1802 to the site1816.

Vehicle/Internet of Things Applications

In another aspect, the browser payment request application programminginterface can apply to a vehicle interface. A vehicle can have computercomponents and a graphical interface (or voice interface) having thebrowser or interface functionality disclosed herein. For example, a userin a car driving through a drive-through at a restaurant could utilize atouch screen built into the car to handle a payment. Through a nearfield communication protocol, WiFi protocol, cellular protocol, or anyother wireless protocol, the vehicle could communicate with therestaurant and exchange information about a payment, paymentcapabilities of the restaurant and/or the vehicle, an amount, itemsordered, and so forth. The person could order and say the amount of themeal is $15. The user, rather than getting out a wallet, or getting outtheir mobile device, could interact with a touch screen built into thevehicle to see the items ordered, and a summary of the purchase amount,and confirm the purchase via the user interface. A fingerprint readercould be built into the user interface, or built into a steering wheelor any other easily accessible device within the vehicle, including theuser's mobile device, which could be used to confirm the purchase. Aninterface could be presented to the user, in one aspect, to input theCVV code on the interface for security. Location based services orcapabilities could be included to make the process work. One aspectinvolves providing the entire purchasing process in a manner which doesnot require the user to pull out or use their mobile device. In anotheraspect, the payment process utilizes a combination of the computingdevice of the vehicle and the user's mobile device.

The process could also occur just via the user's mobile device. In thisrespect, an interactive application or site could follow the user asthey enter the range of a Wi-Fi signal for a restaurant or store andstart a communication interface which enables easier selection,purchasing and payment. For example, as a family arrives at a restaurantand in range of the Wi-Fi network, and interface could be presented on amobile device which welcomes into the restaurant and asks how many arein their party. The family could enter three adults and two childreninto the user interface and be given a timing of when they could beseated. It could even include an opportunity for them to choose seating,such as a booth. Information about the name of the family and other datacould be communicated through an API between the browser and therestaurant or the site. The family could be told that there booth wouldbe ready in ten minutes. I the site could provide a media presentationwhich is tailored for the wait time for that family or of course thefamily could drive around and come back in ten minutes. The notificationof the availability of their booth could be provided via theapplication. Menus could also be provided during this time, via themobile device, or user interface or at a predetermined time prior toavailability. Machine learning and artificial intelligence could be usedfor scheduling and managing the predicted availability times. As afamily goes into the restaurant and system at their table, locationbased data could indicate that they are at the booth and a menu could beprovided to the user interface. The family could order right via theinterface and an estimated time of delivery of their food to the boothcould be provided. Following the delivery of the food, the interfacecould be presented with the option to pay and include any othercomponents, such as a dessert menu, the option to leave a tip, and soforth. The browser API could be utilized between the restaurant site andthe browser to handle the payment. Location-based services could beused, to indicate if a mobile device that ordered a meal is leaving therestaurant without having paid. Even at a later date, the user couldauthorize a payment for the meal. As the mobile device is identified, acall could be made to the user to remind them to authorize a payment. Inthis scenario, using the payment request API, a user to go to arestaurant or any store or any establishment and be able to purchasegoods or services or food via interaction with their mobile device, andwithout the need to even bring a credit card or cash to make thepurchase. In the above scenario, included in this description would beany requests, medications, data, video, images, and so forth would beexchanged between a browser on the mobile device and a site associatedwith the merchant in order to achieve the ability of selecting items forpurchase, retrieving those items, and making a payment through theirmobile device.

In yet another aspect, the computing device built into the vehicle couldcommunicate with a user's mobile device, as noted above. For example,the mobile device, through a wireless interface such as BlueTooth, couldcoordinate browser information and API's with a browser or interfaceloaded on the computing device of the vehicle, such that the user couldinteract with the computing device of the vehicle utilizing paymentdata, login data, user data, or any other data that is on the mobiledevice. Thus, between an entity such as a restaurant, or a tollbooth, orparking garage, or any entity that requires a payment from a vehicle,the communication and exchange of information, authorization, paymentdata, or confirmation of a payment, can occur between the entity and avehicle in the same manner as disclosed herein between a merchant siteand a user device having a browser. Other data could be communicated aswell, such as in a scenario where a user is going to a shoe store, or aclothing store, or any other type of store, and data could becommunicated such as clothing size, shoe size, hat size, clothing orbody models, or any other data could be communicated via an API to helpstreamline the service provided by the entity.

In one scenario of a vehicle application, assume a family is going to arestaurant for dinner. They want to dine in the restaurant. The use ofthe browser API for enabling them to order and make a purchase can be asfollows. The family or vehicle comes within WiFi range for, for example,Panera Bread, or a location-based geo fencing or other applicationenables the Panera system to know that they are in the parking lot,approaching the restaurant, or is turned “on” in some sense. The idea isto enable an order and purchase without even using a mobile device or inconnection with a mobile device. The system (computing device) in thecar (this could also be done exclusively with a mobile device as well)will establish the connection which will provide an exchange ofinformation. For example, identification information such as pictures offamily members, vehicle description, payment data (payment methodaccepted by Panera and payment methods available for the user), speechrecognition grammars or other speech enabling data, and so forth. Assumein one sense that as the family drives into the parking lot, and beforeor after the necessary information is exchanged, and perhaps based onthe proper exchange of the information, a branded sound is provided inthe vehicle. The sound can be for Panera Bread, or can be a genericsound, or an image can be presented on a display. In another aspect, nonotice is provided. A person in the vehicle could then say “Panera, we′dlike to order.” The users could engage in a dialog (spoken or written,graffiti, or any combination thereof) to order their food.

A screen in the vehicle could present options, show text of a dialogexchange, show images of food that can be purchased, and so forth. Thevehicle has a “browser” or interface installed on its computing devicewhich acts as the browser disclosed herein. Once the ordering andexchange of data is complete, the entity (Panera bread), can ask if theuser is ready to pay. The user can say “yes” and using the browser APIbetween Panera Bread and the browser, and utilizing any of the paymentmechanisms disclosed herein, including the secondary API between thebrowser and a payment service, the payment is processed. The user'ssystem could include images of the family or the vehicle could include acamera used to take a picture of everyone in the car (say a camera bythe rear view mirror). The system could ask details like how many in theparty and do you need an infant seat. Social media data could beprovided such as birthday information. The payment processing wouldoccur as disclosed herein. The family could then just go sit down andthe image of the family, names, descriptions, number of people, and soforth could be provided to the restaurant. A worker at the restaurantcould then utilize the image to find the family with the food. Therestaurant could even say “your order has been paid for, please go tobooth 23 on the left as you enter.” The system could place families inspecific places for bringing the food and for coordinating where theysit. Any special needs to be communicated as well, such as userpreferences and desires. As the waiter brings the food to the family'sbooth, he can say “Welcome Jones Family, and happy birthday to Jenny!Here is your dinner.” The food has been paid for, and in one aspect, theusers never needed to even utilize their mobile device. In anotheraspect, all of this processing could be done on a mobile device. Thesystem could also handle a backlog, such that the user could order, payand be told that they should come back in 25 minutes as their food willbe ready and a table will be available.

Where numerous restaurants are in one close area, a WiFi service, orother service, could enable the family to choose from differentrestaurants served by one parking lot. Different speech grammars couldbe provided and implemented based on which restaurant is chosen. Thesystem could provide the family with an order number or a password whichcould also be used to identify them. Perhaps in coordination with theirmobile device a number could be presented such that they only need toput their mobile device on the table with the number for waiter ID.

A similar approach could work for the drive through such that caridentification information is provided to a restaurant such that workerscan see the car, know what the order is, and simply hand it to the useras they drive to the window. There would be no need for the user to handa credit card over or to pay cash at the window or with a worker with amobile device. As noted above, a fingerprint reader in the car, whichcan be provided at any location within the car for any driver orpassenger to use, can be implemented for secure purchasing.

Through electronic means, the car could also know that a mobile devicefrom a different family is in the car too. If two couples are going outto dinner and they want to each pay for their respective meals, or anyitem is to be paid for by a group of people, then the system can handlethe option of having two people pay and disambiguation dialogs canoccur, coordinating of any kind between mobile devices and a vehiclesystem can occur such that the proper parties pay for their portion andthe users all go in for a meal or an item.

The approach could work for any business where the user may be drivingto the business, and engage in a dialog to order and pay for an item. Aworker could then be notified of the purchase and the user could go to,say, Walmart and have a worker bring the item to their car (locationbased data could help) or at a particular pick up location. Or the usercould go and find the item and have a worker be able to scan a bar codeon a mobile device or have image recognition such that the user can justwalk out the door with the item.

As can be appreciated, the browser API can apply in any device and anyInternet of Things scenario. For example, a refrigerator could beequipped with a browser or an interface that can communicate with amerchant to order and pay for groceries via a single click and utilizethe browser API or combination of API's. A shelf containing stock items,and alarm clock, the utility interface for electricity, water, or gas,or any other kind of device can be equipped to function as disclosedherein in order to achieve a payment to an entity without the user beingregistered are providing their payment information to that entity. Forexample, any object, such as an IT device such as a router, switch,server, storage device, could apply a payment approach as disclosedherein. Other examples include environmental monitors, public securityvehicles, point-of-sale terminals, vending machines, signs, lights,planes, tollbooths, pumps, valves, conveyors, pipelines, motors, drives,assembly and packing equipment, vessels, surgical equipment, pumps,telemedicine devices, implants, digital cameras, power systems, thereaders, washers and dryers, various meters, TVs, MP3 devices, gameconsoles, turbines, windmills, batteries, generators, fuel cells,drills, HVAC systems, and so forth. Any such device or devices canutilize the browser/user interface payment request API and itsassociated technologies for handling purchasing information as disclosedherein.

Additional Features Provided Through a Browser API Interface

Using the browser API interface (i.e., the W3C.org payment request API,incorporated herein by reference.) is very helpful and efficient interms of handling payments in a common interface across the Internet. Itis revolutionary. In other areas, buy buttons are very common now insocial media, Facebook, etc. because they are being presented wherepeople are and where they spend time. Now, with the browser API, theissue is not bringing a buy button to where people are, but what to doin connection with the browser API interface which simplifies thepayment process. Now, people all over the web will be using a commoninterface to buy products and services. The W3C standard payment requestAPI is being implemented by Microsoft, Google, Mozilla, Samsung, Safari(proprietary version), and so forth. This disclosure covers otherfunctionality that makes accessing other services more efficient.

For example, the payment interface can be supplemented with aninteractable object such as a button, drop-down menu or hyperlink which,when interacted with, can present to the user their listing of purchasesmade and the respective processing for each item. This would be similarto the account information presented to users in Amazon.com which liststhe status of all their purchases via Amazon.com. In this scenario, thepurchases can be reported to a central agent for purchase acrossdifferent sites, not just amazon. It can include amazon.com as well.Thus, within the browser API interface, a user can see a “managepurchases” object or the like. The user could select an agent within aselection field of their browser. For example, different agents canoffer services that can be integrated into the browser API such thatstandardized calls and responses can be provided. Or the user couldhyperlink to receive information from the account/purchases managementagent which would integrate with the payment interface and enable theuser to gain access into their product purchase history and status in anefficient manner.

Thus, a user interface can be presented which might appear to be at thestandard merchant.com website, but is within the browser API, whichprovides access to user account purchasing history and information. Thisenables an aggregation of purchases across multiple sites to be managedmuch more easily. The “account” can encompass all purchases across theInternet for that user or a group of linked users in a family or otherlinking. Users will demand easy access to all of their purchases as theybecome more comfortable with using common purchasing techniques such asour becoming available to the browser API. Thus, since users will demandaccess to control, review, and further management of their purchases,they will desire and demand such easy accessibility.

Merchant sites may provide calls to the browser API to enable suchfunctionality if they desire. For example, a parameter could be setwhich, when the user goes through a purchasing process, the merchantscould turn on or turn off the presentation in the browser API interfaceof the intractable object which enables access to the user account.Thus, merchants may be able to simplify their purchasing process by notproviding such access. Merchants, of course, could also includeauthorization for the browser API to be able to communicate the basicdata associated with the purchase to a service which can store and addthe purchased item 2 the purchasing history which can be accessiblethrough such an intractable object. Thus, the browser API, not only canbecome an agent which connects a payment process, with the user, and amerchant, but also could become the agent to communicate the purchasingdata to a service or system which will receive all such purchases,combine them together, into one full account history which can beaccessible across many different platforms by the user. In one example,a separate “app” could be provided on a mobile device which simply tapsinto and accesses such a server and provides the ability of the user tomanage all of their purchases. For example, such an “app” or servicecould pull in all of Amazon.com purchases, as well as purchases acrossthe Internet which are reported to the service, and provide all of thefunctionality and control that is currently only available either onAmazon.com, or with individual merchant.com websites.

Additionally, from the state of interacting with the browser APIinterface, the system knows who the user is, his or her paymentinformation, and information about products purchased. Thus, from thisinterface, and from any state along the process, the system couldadvertise, upsell, suggest alternate products, offer discounts, offeradditional services, offer warranties, etc. Furthermore, from thisinterface, social networking opportunities could be presented. Thus,users could be presented with a link to their Facebook page or Pinterestposting that relates to that product. A “deep link” to a socialnetworking site in a particular relevant state could be made and enabledthrough data retrieved from the browser. For example, if a friend of thebuyer purchased the same product the week before and posting somethingabout it, the system could identify that information and present anobject after the user completes the purchase on the payment interfacewhich would transition the user to a social networking feed positionedwith that friend's posting. For example, sometimes, a Facebook feed canhave 10's or 100's of postings and it is hard to find a particularposting of a friend. A transition can be made from the browser APIpayment interface to a particular social network posting that isrelevant to the purchase just made. The system can present a button onthe interface before, during or after the purchase, that says “tweetthis purchase” or “post this purchase on Facebook.” This can occur inany social networking site or even in any other site, such as a merchantsite. The particular functionality of any other site is incorporatedherein and assumed as part of this disclosure, such as how Twitterworks, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Texting, emailing, Pinterest,Instagram, and so forth. In other words, the system can analyze one ormore of the purchase, the user information, payment history, socialmedia data around the buyer and friends/family for data related to thepurchase, and so forth, and present a social media object (or any othertransitioning object, such as a product purchased account object) at anystage along the payment process (before the payment, as the userinitiates the process which leads to interaction through the browserAPI, after the payment, etc.). For example, the system could present anobject which is configured to transition the user to Facebook Messengerin a state as though the user had selected their friend who bought theproduct last week to send a message. The object could indicate that bypressing this button, the user will be transitioned to FacebookMessenger with John who will receive a message, and it will be ready foryou to type.

Further, the object presented could be configured to be a posting on asocial networking site. For example, a user who has a Facebook accountcould authorize an object on the payment interface which can utilize theinformation about the purchase (item, size, number, description, etc.)and can prepare a posting on their Facebook timeline about the purchase.Thus, by interacting with the object, the system can configure andprepare a posting for Facebook preconfigured with a picture of theproduct, description, and even a buy button for the posting forfollowers of the user to perhaps buy. This is a new kind ofadvertisement in which a user, by purchasing a product, can post anadvertisement. The user could even insert his or her own comment. Thus,by clicking on the object, the user could be presented with a postingshowing details about the product, an opportunity to type in some textabout the purchase “I just got this GoPro version 10—very excited” andhave the system transmit the posting to their followers with a buyoption included. This would be different because it is a personalposting from a user and not necessarily from a merchant. However,companies like Shopify or Bigcommerce could also provide backendprocessing services to enable the process. The posting person could evenget a discount for posting the purchase. The notice of the discountcould come at any stage of the purchasing process. For example, whenmaking the purchase, the merchant could give a 5% discount if the userclicks on the social media button and causes a buyable posting to betransmitted through their social network from them, Inventory trackingcan insure that the option to purchase or the purchasing processopportunity is only presented when additional items are in stock (theuser just bought an item). If there are no more items, the posting cango through with information about when the product will be restocked.

This process is essentially a non-merchant posting on a socialnetworking site but with a merchant component. It is powerful becausepeople will see that it is a personal posting and not a merchantposting, but it will still be configured for a buyable interaction. Itis noted that this kind of posting or object which leads to this kind ofposting can also occur outside of the payment request API interface butcould work on any site, such as amazon.com or any merchant site usingany payment mechanism. At some point the user logs in and the system hasenough information to be able to transition to a social networking sitefor a configured posting. Relationships can be developed betweenmerchants and private posters on a social media site such that at thebackend process connects a private posting with the buyable optionprocessing used by many merchants now.

In this regard, the posting from the personal user can be in a sense“co-branded” between the user and the merchant. The presentation caninclude graphics that couple perhaps the user's profile picture and thelogo of the merchant. The process could work where if a user is going topost a buyable posting personally, then the system can dynamically, orin advance, generate a cobranding image that accompanies the postingsuch that the recipients of the posting can recognize not only that theitem is a canon camera, or a product from Macy's, but is also personallyposted by their friend and not a business posting. This approach canenhance the trust the recipient can have in making a purchase based onthat posting.

The purchase interface could also include an option to transition tosomething like Facebook Messenger. The user may be in the process ofmaking the purchase and have a question, the messenger can enable aninteraction with the merchant about the product. The user may want toconfirm that it has a 2 year warranty or is 4 wheel drive, or anyquestion. The system could transition the final purchasing to be donewithin the messenger application or transition back to the API interfaceto confirm the purchase. The API could include the appropriate calls andfunctionality to make such transitions to and/or from the interface.This process of course can incorporate any application for interfacingwith the merchant, not just the Facebook Messenger Application.

Other options are available for enabling people to post privatelythrough social networks for products and get deals, discounts, points,credits, a free product, etc. For example, a social network user may seean advertisement for a product such as a cannon 7D camera, posted byamazon.com or canon.com. Currently, there are shop now or buy nowbuttons or other buttons associated with actions. The proposal is to addanother button in which the user could post that product on his or herown with the same structure. In this case, the posting becomespersonalized, the user could add comments, or a picture of themselves(perhaps with the product that they bought, or video) and post. Whatchanges is that the posting is through their own social network but itcan retain the buy now option such that users can be transitioned tomake a purchase of that product. It is a more personal posting becauseit is from a friend and not a company. The user could get such a postingafter they've purchased a product too. So assume the user bought a canon7D camera. They could see a canon 7D camera posting with a choosableoption to repost for $10 off their next purchase. The posting could beconfigured in their newsfeed as being prepared and configured for themto repost. For example, it may not say “buy this camera” but it may say“Friends, I just bought this camera and love it—Amazon is offering it toyou at a discount”. Thus, when the user reposts the posting, it is fromthem, to their followers, and somewhat personalized already. This wouldmake it easy for users to share product and have the posting configuredfor easy purchase. The purchase could be processed by the socialnetworking site, a separate payment processor, the merchant site,through Apple Pay or Android pay, or through a browser/user interfacepayment request API, or through Amazon.com or a traditional paymentapproach. The buyers in this scenario could also get a structureddiscount such as one discount if they buy it from their friends posting,or if they buy and post it themselves on their social network(s), theycan get an additional discount. The additional discount could becredited to their payment account if they post on their social networkafter the purchase. A “retargeting” approach could also be included inwhich the buyer may not re post the purchase or the item on their socialnetwork(s) at the time they make their purchase, but the system could beprogrammed to post an opportunity for that user, a day, a week, or someintelligent time later, giving them the opportunity for a refund of $5or a coupon or discount, or miles, or some other benefit, if they postthat they bought this item last week and love it.

The benefit in this example is that once a user buys a product, there isa period of time that the user tests or experiments with the purchasedproduct. A user can then post on a social network their feelings aboutthe product, such as how much they love the camera, or vacuum, forexample, and suggest that their friends buy it. The system could obtainsome kind of network based feedback on usage of the product, which couldtrigger the reposting. For example, the user may buy an iphone 7 and thesystem can determine that after the user has taken 50 pictures theyshould pick several for a personalized posting. The posting can includea buy option, and personal comments in addition to the picture of theproduct and the user.

Another aspect of the above concept is how to handle deep linktransitions. For example, if John gets an amazon.com posting for aproduct, he can click on a shop now or buy now (or similar label) toexplore and/or shop. In some cases, since the posting is known to John,if he clicks on an object, the system can transition him to a deep linkwithin amazon.com where he is automatically logged in, his payment anddelivery information is already stored, and he could one-click purchaseright after the transition or with very few clicks make the purchase.The “state” of amazon.com is a deep link associated with the user andthe product for an ease of purchase. Accessing data from the browser toenable the deep-link one-click purchasing state may be utilized, such asaccessing a one-click purchasing parameter.

Referring back to the personal product posting, there may need to beadditional transfer or sharing of information as John may repost aproduct posting such that his 100 followers see the posting and can alsomake a purchase. The system will track each recipient such that anyrecipient who clicks on buy now will also be transitioned to a deep linkin amazon.com and in a state in which they are logged in and canone-click or with a few clicks make a purchase without the need ofentering manually payment information or delivery information. APIs canbe established between social networking sites, merchant sites, thebrowser, payment processors, and/or any other entity for the purpose ofhandling the transition and back end processing to achieve the resultsand processes described above.

In one aspect, the opportunity and concepts include transitioningbetween social networking structures. For example, a user may get aFacebook advertisement in their newsfeed and want to repost that intheir Pinterest account as a buyable pin. The system also can translatepostings from one format to another, while retaining the buyableconfiguration. If a transition from one payment structure to another isneeded, that transition can occur as well. For example, an amazon.composting may be transitioned from a deep link processing for payment to abrowser API payment or an Android payment approach as the user repoststhe merchant posting as their own on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram,Twitter, or if they transition from one type of social network toanother. User preferences may also be changed and drive what kinds oftransitions occur. If amazon.com already has the user payment andaddress information stored, the transition may still require accessingdata in the browser such as a one-click purchasing parameter set.

Another example transition from the browser API payment interface couldbe a “continue shopping” button or object that could bring the user to ashopping state back in the site. The user could be taken to a new searchfield as though no searches were done or the user could transition to apartial search that would have been part way along to the final state ofthe product that they purchased.

The browser API could also be enhanced to provide additionalfunctionality such as the option to buy 2 or more of the product withautomatic adjustment of pricing, parameter changes (color or size,volume, etc), and so forth.

The additional functionality can also be independent of the basicpurchasing process for which the browser API was developed. A merchantsite and/or the browser, user, or other entity can initiate thisadditional functionality through a call to the API. For example, if thebrowser API is modified to include the additional feature of connectingthe user with their payment history and a management mechanism, and themerchant site would like to provide that functionality on the browserAPI interface, a parameter can be set, or a call can be made inconnection with the other communication with the browser which turns onthe purchase history management component. If that feature is turned on,then the browser can interact via another API or other mechanism with aservice that stores the payment history across the web for that user andresponds with the information and management capability. The browser APIcan help to format that information and present on the browser APIinterface, and intractable button, hyperlink, or drop-down menu which,when interacted with by the user, will present the purchase history forreview and/or action by the user. The system may also transition to theuser, if that feature is selected, to a separate site for managingpurchases. The benefit of this approach is that it provides additionalfunctionality for the user at an interface which is going to bestandardized across Internet purchases. It reduces the “business valuechain” by providing access the services in a manner that requires lessclicks or less interactions by the user in that the initiation of accessto the respective service can be made right through the browser API,which is an interface that many people will use.

In one aspect, a merchant could provide a report of the kinds ofservices that it offers. This might be similar in a sense to a merchantproviding a list of payment mechanisms that are authorized, such asVisa, Discover, and MasterCard. The browser API, which has access to theuser payment mechanism, responds with a match such that the payment canproceed. In this additional context, a merchant could provide a listingof alternate services which are available to be performed through thebrowser API interface. For example, the merchant may provide thepurchase history management access, Facebook posting access, Pinterestaccess, and a FaceTime access where a personal friend of the user hasmade a similar purchase. In a user profile, the user can also select thealternate types of services they would or might want to access to thebrowser API interface. Thus, if the user desires access to theirpurchase history and is a member of Facebook, through the APIs, it isdetermined that the browser API interface should present one object forFacebook and another object for the purchase history.

Then, if the user interacts with the Facebook object, the system couldperform a number of different functions. The system could simplytransfer the user to Facebook and their general newsfeed. The systemcould generate a preview of a posting on the user's timeline which isconnected to and configured for the particular purchase. Options mayalso be presented such as to confirm such a posting, to accept a 5%discount if the posting can be presented with a shopping button or abuyable button, and so forth. These parameters can be distributedthrough the API with other data as well that might be connected to thealternate service as necessary.

For example, one object could be presented in the interface whichindicates that the user's best friend bought the same hat and would theylike to talk about it. The button could initiate a call, FaceTime, Skypeinteraction, and email, text, and so forth. Any type of communicationcould be initiated based on the capabilities of the two parties, pasthistory, and so forth. Thus, in one aspect, the browser API is expandedbeyond providing communication between the browser and a merchant merelyfor the purpose of rendering a payment process more simple and uniform.The browser API can be expanded to also be an agent for any other kindof service or information. In the payment process, certain pieces ofinformation are known such as the cost, the product, the user,addresses, email addresses, and so forth. Any additional service orcapability that can draw upon that data can be leveraged through thebrowser API to add that additional functionality and capability at thatpoint or estate in which the user is. Accordingly, by adding this newfunctionality which may or may not be directly related to the purchase,the ability of the user to transition to or access these additionalservices, without needing to leave the merchant site and go to anadditional or separate site, to provide a Facebook posting, for example,the user can access and achieve this additional functionality with aminimal number of interactions.

The types of options that may be presented through the browser APIinterface may also vary depending upon the state of the interaction.Other words, there are different states throughout the process, althoughthe process is brief. There is a state which presents the payment andpurchase summary prior to final confirmation. There's a state followingthe final confirmation, and so forth. Different services can bepresented depending on the state of the interaction. If the state isprior to a final confirmation of a purchase, then an object could bepresented which offers a summary of comments, or ratings, or informationabout the product that may be available from a third party service site.This can provide the user with additional information about the productthat may not be gained through just the merchant site. Following thepurchase, entities might offer warrantees, service plans, options foradditional purchases, and so forth which may or may not be affiliatedwith the merchant. The merchant may coordinate and authorize suchadditional activities through the API interface. For example, themerchant may set or transmit a parameter which indicates that authorizedwarranty offering companies can be allowed to present an opportunity forwarranty through the browser API interface. In this manner, the merchantcan control the level of such additional functionality through theinterface.

In some cases, the browser API interface may even add additional pagesor interactions depending upon the function that is being performed.Accordingly, beyond merely adding an object which is selectable,depending on the function, the browser API may present an additionalinterface or more interfaces which enables the user to make additionalselections and to achieve or perform the function that is beingprovided. This functionality can be presented as though it were part ofthe interface, as though it were part of the merchant site, or canclearly initiate a transition from the merchant site to anotherenvironment such as a social networking page, site, application, and soforth. It is important in these contexts for the user to be comfortablewith whom they are interacting. Thus, the browser API is presented aspart of a payment process on the merchant site. This additionalfunctionality can be presented also on the site, or separately.

Further, the browser API interface can be extended to include otherfunctions. Users can install extensions to the interface, much like theyinstall extensions to the browser. An Amazon Assistant could beinstalled which would be presented in the interface. Preprocessing couldoccur using the data obtained from the purchase through the Interface.For example, a user buys a pair of pants. The system knows the user'swaist size and the style of pants. An Amazon Assistant could present apre-populated input field with the term “belt” or “brown leather belt 34waist” such that an accessory could easily be shopped for on Amazon.com.Other parameters could be set which will cause the search result to betailored and match with the item just purchased. In one aspect,extensions added to a browser can be accessed through the browser APIinterface. In other words, the Amazon assistant that is installed on abrowser could be accessed from the API interface rather than just themain browser interface.

An object could be presented on the API interface that enables a furthersearch, such as a Google search or an eBay search. Parameters could alsobe set which narrow or filter search activities based on the purchasemade through the API. For example, if the user just purchased an item, aPinterest search field could be presented which is or is notprepopulated with a term which enables the user to transition from theAPI interface to Pinterest for searching and viewing accessories orsimilar items.

Virtual Reality

The browser or software module API can also be utilized in othercontexts such as virtual reality. For example, if the user has anopportunity to shop for items, such as clothes, using virtual realitygoggles or headsets, then the use of the browser API can be applicable.Modifications to the browser API protocols can be made to particularlyprovide for that context. For example, providing proper useridentification for security purposes has been discussed above. Usingfingerprint authorization or security codes to confirm that it is theproper user making the purchase. Virtual reality goggles can bepositioned on a user's face. Elements can be built into the goggles toprovide a different type of user identification. For example, ratherthan requiring the user to provide fingerprint authorization, thegoggles may have built in a mechanism for scanning and iris of the user.The iris scan can match the user's identity and be mechanism forauthorizing a purchase. A particular user gesture or movement canindicate a purchase confirmation. Furthermore, some virtual realitygoggles will receive a mobile device for its screen. They provide aconfiguration such that the user can attach their mobile device, andthen where the arrangements as goggles for a virtual reality experience.A mobile device could be configured with a fingerprint scanningcomponent on its backside such that a user, while watching a virtualreality experience, and simply reach up and touch the fingerprintscanner to confirm a purchase. Typically, the fingers print scanner ison the front side of the mobile device for easy access by the user.However, when a mobile device is mounted in a goggle configuration, thefingerprint scanner will likely be on the inside of the goggles and noteasily accessible by the user. In another aspect, a fingerprint scannercould be placed on the goggles such that either through Bluetooth, nearfield communication, a wired connection, or any other mechanism, thedata from the fingerprint scan on the goggles can be communicated to themobile device for further processing to authorize a purchase. A mobiledevice in this respect could have two fingerprint scanners—one on thefront for normal use and one on the back for use for purchases made in avirtual reality headset.

Other aspects could also include the goggle configuration being able toidentify a forehead shape, a nose shape, DNA data for the user,temperature data, movement patterns, speech, facial recognition, and soforth, to identify an individual for security purposes for a purchase orother reasons. For example, a particular blinking pattern may beestablished to confirm the identity of the user. These variousapproaches can confirm or replace a fingerprint or security code toconfirm the purchase using the browser API. Using these approaches in avirtual reality context can reduce the number of clicks or interactionsrequired by the user to accomplish a purchase in a virtual realitycontext. Thus, one aspect of this disclosure can include electroniccoordination between goggles and a mobile device configured with thegoggles to present a virtual out reality experience for user, in whichthe mobile device utilizes a browser API to accomplish simplifiedpurchasing process as disclosed herein. Of course any headset forvirtual reality can include a browser component which can incorporatethe browser API whether it is part of a separable mobile device or abuilt in screen. In one example, using a VR Headset like the HTC Vibecan include the ability of a user to interact with in a virtual realityworld as though they are in a store making a purchase. The interactionswithin the virtual environment can include trying on cloths or playingwith a toy. The user can make the purchase within the virtualenvironment and the VR Headset and/or a coordinated computing device canprocess a payment made from the virtual world through the browser API.Sensors within the VR headset which sense head movements or gestures cantranslate that movement into a purchasing interaction which can lead toa purchase. Further, any coordination between a VR headset and anotherdevice such as a computer or gaming device can be utilized to completepurchases using the browser API. Thus, any step or any process can bedivided between as VR headset and any other device to accomplish animproved approach to making purchases.

The issue is how to you incorporate the browser API into a virtualreality environment. With Apple Pay, you must use a fingerprint toconfirm the purchase. Other methods may require a CVC code or voiceauthentication and so forth. For a fingerprint environment like ApplePay, the solution is to receive a fingerprint when the user begins avirtual reality session. As the user mounts a mobile device into aheadset or with a complete headset without a separable mobile device,the headset can include a fingerprint reader. By receiving thefingerprint in advance, the user can utilize the stored authenticationwhile making a purchase in a virtual environment. The user could shopand virtually make a purchase, even using hand gestures or providing afingerprint on a virtual fingerprint reader. When the indication isprovided within the virtual environment that the purchase should bemade, the headset or mobile device can access the fingerprintauthorization provided at the beginning of the session and apply thatauthentication to complete the purchase. The user in the virtualenvironment can even truly use a one-click purchase to pay since theydon't need to authorize the purchase using a fingerprint. The earlierfingerprint authorization that is recorded can be used for any virtualpayment no matter how in the virtual reality environment the userindicates a desire to pay. For example, the environment might simulatethe user giving cash to someone and buying an item, but in thebackground, the systems could process an Apple Pay, or Google Wallet orAndroid payment. In the virtual environment, any necessaryauthentication such as a CVC code, or speech, gesture or any otherconfirmation data can be provided virtually, or in advance of a VRsession for use to make purchases. For example, the user may provide aCVC code before starting the session or may provide payment information,address information etc. for enabling the virtual reality environment toutilize the browser API for requesting and receiving payment data forprocessing a payment.

In one example, Apple pay, utilizes a browser API by correlating twodevices. The user shopping a laptop computer that does not have afingerprint authorization mechanism, the laptop communicates with aniPhone that includes a secure element which stores the paymentinformation associated with the user, and which has a fingerprintauthorization object. When the user makes purchase of the laptopcomputer, the user confirms the purchase via a fingerprint authorizationon the separate mobile device. In a virtual reality scenario, a virtualreality headset, being worn by a user and through which the user ishaving a virtual reality experience, could include a browser (or similaragent software) configured to communicate requests and responses, or anyother communication between a merchant and the browser via the browserAPI. When a purchase is to be made in the virtual environment, theheadset could communicate wirelessly with a mobile device that has afingerprint authorization mechanism. In this scenario, the virtualreality headset could also be configured, when that time comes to needthe fingerprint authorization, to provide instructions orally, visually,or in any other manner, directing the user to the physical mobile devicethat the user needs to touch to provide the fingerprint authorization.This aspect could be included to provide a physical component to thevirtual reality environment to enable the user to make the purchasesecurely.

Again, when using the browser API in the context of virtual realitypurchases, the headset or other device used can act as the agent orbrowser. If a mobile device is used as part of the headset to create theVR environment, it can function as disclosed herein to provide a storagefacility for payment and user data, and the browser (Mozilla, Chrome,Safari, Opera, etc.) can be configured to receive payment requests froma merchant and respond according to the protocol. If the headset doesnot use a removable mobile device, but is a self-contained system, itcan be loaded with a browser or similar software that also is configuredwith the browser API and also can store in a similar fashion payment anduser data (as well as any other data referenced herein). Thefunctionality can be provided within the self contained headset,including a fingerprint reader or other biometric reader for useridentification. Then, as the user engages in the virtual realityenvironment, if they go to a store, or purchase an item virtually, thesystem can treat that purchase as they would a purchase on a merchantsite where a user clicks on a buy button. The user may virtually give acredit card, or virtually use Apple Pay, or virtually give cash at apoint of sale in a virtual store. The user may virtually be at acomputer making on on-line purchase. Any virtual situation in which apurchase is made can be applicable to the browser API made available inthe headset. At some point in the virtual interaction, a confirmationwill occur where money is exchanged or payment is confirmed, at thispoint, a site or entity representing the merchant or seller can initiatea payment request to the browser API associated with the headset andprovide, according to the protocol, the available payment mechanisms forthat entity, and receive payment data, address data, a one-time usetoken for processing a payment, and so forth as disclosed herein,through the browser API, for processing the purchase. In this scenario,a user, for example, could walk through a virtual mall and try oncloths, look at toys or books, and make purchases, and literallyphysical objects purchased in the virtual world can be purchased andshipped to the user's home.

Protocols associated with the browser API might be modified for avirtual environment. For example, a parameter might be set in acommunication through the browser API from a merchant to the browserindicating that the merchant is a virtual merchant and that no buybutton will be clicked on but a different type of trigger many initiatethe process. A parameter may be set indicating that because the user isin a virtual environment, that a fingerprint authorization will bereceived and is stored when the user began using the virtual environmentwhich will be accessed if the user makes a purchase during the virtualexperience, to alleviate the need for a real-time fingerprintauthorization, as normally happens with, say, Apple Pay, but which wouldnot be convenient or possible in the virtual environment. Thus, aresponse from the headset as part of the browser API protocol mightindicate that a fingerprint authorization is stored and current for useto make a purchase. Any parameters or information necessary or helpfulto achieve an efficient use of the browser API in a virtual realityenvironment can be communicated through a modified version of thebrowser API for a virtual reality context.

This approach can also be used to further simplify the process withnormal mobile devices. For example, the system could require the user toapply a fingerprint when they start their device and for a period oftime that fingerprint could be accessed for Apple Pay or the likepurchases. Normally, users have to click on an “Apple Pay” button andthen provide a fingerprint authorization. But if the authorization haspreviously been made, that authorization can be applied in connectionwith the click on the apple pay button and remove the need to use thefingerprint after clicking on Apple Pay to complete the purchase. If thetiming is set for say 30 minutes of use under a fingerprintauthorization, the system could present a notice that the need toreauthorize is approach and that the user has say 5 minutes left to makea purchase without a fingerprint authorization.

The browser in a virtual reality environment could also include or haveaccess to other data such as clothing size, shoe size and so forth,particularly if the user is cloths shopping in the virtual realityenvironment. That data can help drive what is presented to the user suchthat it fits the user's size or other preferences. All of the conceptsabove could also apply to app usage through a software module APIcommunicating with an app.

Browser Download

Another aspect of this disclosure includes a server storing thenecessary data to transmit or download a browser update, a softwaremodule, or a complete browser over a network to a client device. Theprocess includes receiving or identifying a request to provide a browseror an updated browser, and downloading or transmitting the browser orbrowser update to the client device for installation on the clientdevice. The browser that is downloaded includes the necessaryfunctionality to receive and process payment requests through thepayment request API. The process thus includes downloading the browseror browser update containing or configured with the payment request APIcapability. Once installed, sites can initiate payment request calls tothe browser, which will carry out the process of communicating paymentinformation through the payment request API for enabling the site toprocess a purchase without the need of the user entering in paymentaccount information, delivery information, and so forth.

One method includes downloading data or code from a server to a clientsuch that the data, when installed on the client, installs, or updates,a browser. The browser is configured, when activated, to performoperations including any of the functions disclosed in the application.The functions include operating the browser/user interface paymentrequest API, or providing the communication between the browser and asecond site for transitioning to the second site using a drop-down menuwhich is presented after user input is received and which, when anobject is selected, transitions the user from a general input field tothe second site preprocessed in a state where the user is transitionedto the second site with search results presented based on processing theuser input as though it had been entered into a second input field atthe second site.

Transitioning from a First Site to a Second Site

FIG. 20A illustrates a method example for transitioning from one site toanother site. The steps in the method example can be performed in anyorder, can be performed in other combinations or permutations thatinclude additional steps or exclude all or part of some of the describedsteps. The system can present in a first user interface a first inputfield associated with a first website processed via a browser (2002),and analyze the input from the user into the first input field todetermine whether the user desires to perform a search or to make apurchase to yield a determination (2004). If the determination indicatesthat the user desires to make a purchase, and without any other inputfrom the user other than the input, the system can transition the userfrom the first website to a second website that can process the purchaseof a product via a shopping cart model (2006). The system canprepopulate a second input field associated with a second website withthe input (2008).

The system can preprocess the second website using the input in thesecond input field such that the user is in a state after the automatictransitioning where a product associated with the input can be processedfor purchase and delivery via a one-click action from the user (2010).Preprocessing the second web site can include transmitting user datafrom one of the first web site and a browser to the second website, orautomatically navigating through the shopping cart model of the secondwebsite to yield the state where the product can be processed forpurchase and delivery via the one-click action. The system can furtherpreprocess a third website using the input in a third input field suchthat the user is in a state after the automatic transitioning where aproduct associated with the input can be processed for purchase anddelivery via a one-click action from the user, and present the thirdwebsite as an option for the user to choose in the browser.

The preprocessing can be according to a user profile with variouspreferences. For example, in a user profile associated with the firstwebsite, or with a browser. The user profile can utilize informationsuch as payment account data, delivery data, preferences such as not toclick on receiving any email notifications, and any other possiblechoices that can be made in processing a shopping cart model. Theapplication, browser, or website, via an API, can then communicate inthe background and can perform all of those navigations and inputsnecessary so that such input can be automatically handled to the extentthat the user is presented with the second website in a state where theyare ready to “one-click” and make the final purchase and delivery. TheAPI can include all of the information necessary for the second websitethat is necessary the fill in and enter all of the necessary data tofinalize the purchase. For example, the first site can process a paymentand the second site can finalize the order by filling it and handlingdelivery. The first website or browser or application can hold allpossible information that various shopping cart models can and dorequest in processing the purchase. As a particular second website ischosen as the one to which or through which the user is likely to make apurchase from. The first website or browser establishes via an API aconnection to the second website with the various information necessaryfor preprocessing the input. The first site could also communicate via abrowser API to receive instructions from the merchant site to process apayment if the first site is a payment service. The data such as theuser input identifying the product that they want to buy and any othergenerated data that helps to narrow down and disambiguate which productto present for purchase via a one-click input. For example, the user mayinput “iPhone 5S 32 GB” but not a color. The system can choose a mostpopular color and provide that data to the second website to enable anarrowing down of which model to present. The system can also presentsecondary options such that alternate choices can be easily madeaccessible via the second website for potential selection if the primarychoice is the wrong color or is not the desired product to buy.

Further enhancements also are described next. The following relates tothe concept of transitioning from one site (social media site, orbrowser search field, or search engine, or any site or state) to anotheror for payment processing on a site. In one aspect, the system uses adeep link at a destination site configured to a state as though the userhad searched for the product, logged in, and/or entered in paymentinformation, whereby the user can complete a purchasing process withoutentering payment information or logging in. Where the destination sitealready stores payment and address data for a user, the transition caninclude retrieving other data from the browser, such as one-clickpurchasing parameters or other data, to utilize for transitioning to aone-click purchasing state.

An aspect also covers steps from the destination site, such asamazon.com advertising on Facebook. When a site like amazon.com submitsa posting to a recipient on a social networking site, it has informationabout the recipient's identification. If that recipient has registeredwith amazon.com, and provided their payment information to amazon.com,then, when the recipient clicks on a buy now object or an object thatindicates a desire to make a purchase in a posting on Facebook (anysocial networking site) as an advertisement or in their newsfeed, therecipient can transition from the social networking site postingassociated with a product to the posting site, such as amazon.com, witha “deep link” in which the user is transitioned to the site in a stateas though the user had searched for the product and the site is in astate where the user can “one click” purchase the product. This ispossible because the transition from the social networking posting tothe site includes enabling the user to be logged in to the site andpresenting the user an interface in which they can purchase the productwith minimal further clicks. Browser stored information can be utilizedto achieve the deep link destination landing.

In another aspect, the first site could be a social networking site, anda destination site could be a merchant site. The one-click approach tolanding on the destination site in a deep link state such that the usercan engage in a one-click interaction (or perhaps two clicks or otherminor confirmation interactions, but without manually entering payment,address, etc.) to achieve a purchase can be made through the browserpayment require application programming interface being called once theuser lands on the destination site. A method in this aspect can includereceiving a posting of an item through a social networking site, whereinthe social networking site receives and transmits posted items fromposting entities to receiving entities and when the posting is notassociated with a product for purchase in a product database, the methodcan include transmitting the posting through the social networking sitewithout an option to buy. This is simply a normal posting say on anewsfeed. When the posting references the product in the productdatabase, and thus indicating a sale-related intent, the method caninclude inserting, by the social networking site, a payment processinitiation object into the posting to yield a product posting, thepayment process initiation object, when interacted with by a user,indicating an intent by the user to initiate a process to purchase aproduct in the product posting, transmitting the product posting throughthe social networking site with the payment process initiation objectassociated with the product, wherein the payment process initiationobject can include one of a button, a drop-down menu, or a hyperlink,and receiving an interaction associated with the payment processinitiation object. In one aspect, the posting entity can include the buyoption object when the posting occurs. The buy option object can beconfigured to cause the deep link transition from the social networkingsite back to the posting entity site.

Based on the interaction, the method can include transitioning the userfrom the social networking site to a merchant site associated with theproduct posting. Based on a buy interaction by the user with a payobject on the merchant site, the method can include receiving a paymentrequest, from the merchant site, via a browser application programminginterface between a browser that presents the merchant site to the userand the merchant site. In response to the payment request, the methodcan include communicating payment data for the user through the browserapplication programming interface to the merchant site to enable themerchant site to use the payment data to complete a purchase of theproduct. As can be appreciated, in one aspect, the functionality at thesocial networking site with respect to presenting a buy option or shopbutton can vary as long as one generally transitions to the destinationsite such that the destination site can call the browser API toaccomplish the payment process.

Once the user lands on a destination site or navigates to a destinationsite to make a purchase, the system could provide a payment service toprocess a payment using a first browser API between the merchant siteand a browser and a second API between the browser and a paymentservice. The various communications could occur according to theprotocols of the respective API's to complete the payment by the paymentservice, and notify the merchant site, such that the merchant site couldreceive payment and deliver the product to the user.

FIG. 20B illustrates another aspect of transitioning, that oftransitioning from one site to another. The server represented asfeature 1810 of FIG. 18A can represent any site in the respectivefunctionality of that site can be applicable to the present disclosure.A social media site will be discussed by way of example, but anyfunctionality of any site is included within this disclosure.

Assume server 1810 represents a social media site such as Facebook,Instagram, Pinterest, and so forth. The site of course can be any siteand the interaction with an object on the site can depend on thefunctionality of the site. The respective functionality of each site isincluded within this disclosure and any interaction with the site cantrigger the transition to a secondary site according to this disclosure.Assume, by way of example, the site is a social media site and thesocial media site receives a posting, or an advertisement associatedwith an item for purchase. For other sites the data could be a gameinteraction or a video conference call interface, or any other sitefunctionality. The advertisement can be within a newsfeed or on the sitegenerally. The question is how would one transition from the first site1810 to a merchant site 1816 such that the user lands in a one clickpurchasing state for the object without the need of entering in paymentinformation, login information, address information, and/or passwordsand so forth. The method involves receiving an interaction from a userwith an object (which can be associated with an advertisement in thisexample or any other object in any other context for other sitefunctionality) for a product via the social networking site (2020) andpresented within the browser 1806. For example, an advertisement on thesocial media site for a toaster could have a “buy now” button. When theuser clicks the “buy now” button or otherwise interacts with theadvertisement from a merchant entity, a series of events are initiatedto transition to the user to a site associated with the merchant entityin a particular state. The series of events includes retrieving, as partof a transition from the social networking site (or any first site) oneclick purchasing data from a browser 1806 (2022). The method uses thedata from the browser to enable the user to transition from the firstsite to the destination merchant site in the deep link state. The datafrom the browser is not just hyperlink data that is found say on a website with a hyperlink. The data is preferably, in one aspect, datastored within the browser such as in a user profile or a stored userparameter, one-click purchasing parameter, payment data, and so forth.The deep link state enables the user to purchase the product via asingle interaction with a purchase object (either right after thetransition, without any other interaction, or after continued shoppingof choosing a different product) without manually entering paymentaccount data or user address data. The one click purchasing datarepresents any data that enables the user to land at the destinationmerchant entity site in a one click purchasing state. One clickpurchasing data can include payment data, delivery data, name, address,a browser setting, a one-click purchasing setting, user profile options,preferences, one click purchasing parameters, registration information,email addresses, and so forth. The transitioning process includesretrieving the one click purchasing data from the browser 1806. This canbe done through an API 1818 or through some other mechanism ofretrieving the data. The data is retrieved in the background such thatno other user interaction is needed to retrieve the date or other thaninteracting with the “buy now” object or other object indicating anintent to purchase.

Next, the system utilizes the one click purchasing data and transitions,based on the one click purchasing data, the user from the social mediasite to the merchant entity site in a deep link state wherein the usercan purchase the product via a single interaction with a one clickpurchasing object presented on the merchant entity site (2024). The deeplink state has some certain characteristics. Example characteristics,one or more which can apply, include a state in which the product oritem that is associated with the notice or advertisement on the socialmedia site is shown in a merchant entity interface. The merchant entityinterface is on the merchant site and includes a one click purchasingobject. Payment information, address delivery information, shippingmethods, and so forth are already available to the merchant entity site.The one click purchasing data, retrieved from the browser and providedto the merchant entity site enables the user to land at the destinationmerchant site. In such a state where the next interaction after thefirst click on the buy button at the social media site can be a oneclick purchase interaction on the merchant site. The merchant siteutilizes the one click purchasing data from the browser to enable thisdeep link state. In another aspect, the user may land at the destinationmerchant entity site and be able to continue shopping or changeparameters of the product, and thus have other interactions at themerchant entity site, and when the user arrives at a product they desireto purchase, the user can make the purchase via one click as a purchaserwould amazon.com. In this manner, the transition from the first site tothe merchant site reduces the number of clicks or interactions necessaryin order to arrive at a purchase.

The process from the standpoint of the merchant entity site is presentedin FIG. 20C. From the standpoint of the merchant entity site, themerchant entity transmits a notice or advertisement to a first site forpresentation (2030). This can be an advertisement generally on the siteor an advertisement, linked to inventory, for presenting, on thenewsfeed or other social network posting. Based on an interaction fromthe user with an object associated with the advertisement on the firstsite, the method includes retrieving one click purchasing data from abrowser (2032) and receiving a transition, based on the one clickpurchasing data, from the first site to a merchant entity site in a deeplink state wherein the user can purchase the product via a singleinteraction with a one click purchasing object on the merchant and thesite (2034). At this stage, the user is positioned at the merchant siteand continues normal interactions with the merchant entity site, such ascontinuing to shop for other products, and so forth.

FIG. 20D illustrates another aspect from the standpoint of a merchantsite. The method includes transmitting, from a merchant, anadvertisement to a first site for presentation on the first site withina browser (2040) and receiving, at a destination merchant siteassociated with the merchant and based on an interaction of a user withan object within the advertisement, a transition of the user from thefirst site to the destination merchant site in a deep link state (2042).The transition can utilize several steps including: retrieving data fromthe browser (2044) and using the data from the browser to enable theuser to transition from the first site to the destination merchant sitein the deep link state, wherein the deep link state of the destinationmerchant site can include a merchant site object (2046). The merchantsite object can enable further navigation and browsing for products orcan be a single click object for purchasing the product identified inthe advertisement. The method further includes receiving an interactionwith the merchant site object at the destination merchant site (2048)and processing a purchase of the product based on the interaction withthe merchant site object without requiring the user to manually enterpayment account data or user address data (2050).

Determining Whether User Input is a Generalized Non-Purchasing Query ora Query with Intent to Purchase

A system, method and computer-readable storage devices are disclosedwhich enable any input field in a website or in some othercomputer-based user interface to act as a unified input field. A unifiedinput field allows a user to provide input that can lead not only to alisting of search results, but can cause any of a number of otheractions to be performed on behalf of the user, such as directlynavigating to a merchant shopping cart prepopulated with a desired item,or even automatically executing a purchase and placing an order for adesired item. Using such a unified input field can save significanttime, effort, and clicks for a user. However, such unified input fieldsmay not be implemented in every website or other user interface the userdesires. The user may become accustomed to a particular workflow or setof capabilities when dealing with unified input fields, and may feelrestricted or limited when using a traditional limited input field.

In one example, if the user is directed from a unified input fieldenabled site such as one-search.com to Apple.com, then that user'sinteraction with Apple.com could be modified such that the search fieldof Apple.com (or any website, such as Google.com or Amazon.com) becomeslike a one-search.com unified input field. For example, a JavaScriptscript or browser plugin can intercept text entered into text fields onnon-unified input field enabled sites or non-unified input fields, andredirect that input to one-search.com to implement these features andpresent the autocomplete options, and the one-click purchase options. Inother words, the options to do any number of different processingoptions outside of the particular website can be made available to theuser. In this manner, any search field, text field, or input field canbe adapted to be a unified input field as disclosed herein. Of course,all of the functionality disclosed herein could be built into any searchor input field on any website, application, or user interface.

Functionality of the browser can be modified directly or via a plug-in,script, or extension, to implement a unified input field in place of anexisting input field. The user can activate the input field enhancer,such as by checking a checkbox in a menu, clicking a button, logging inwith a username and password, or providing some other user identifyingcredentials. The input field enhancer can then identify the user, andretrieve personal data about the user, such as a profile stored in abrowser cache or a profile stored on a server. The system can identifyuser preferences from the profile data, which may provide rules orpreferences for when and how to modify certain input fields to beunified input fields. For example, a user profile may indicate not tomodify input fields on craigslist.org, but to modify input fieldseverywhere else. Another user profile may indicate to modify all textinput fields located within the top 10% of a website. Another userprofile may indicate not to modify text input fields on mobile devicessuch as smartphones and tablets, but to modify text input fields ondesktop or laptop computers. The user can log in to a user profile thatis stored on a server, so that the user's preferences and other personaldata are not limited to one local machine, but instead are accessiblefrom any such enabled machine. Thus, the user can log in to a browser ona work computer to enable unified input fields and can do the same on ahome computer, while using the same personal profile, preferences, andhistory. This personal information can be important for a classifierwhen determining intent based on a relatively short input string, andcan provide a sense of consistency for the user when unified inputfields behave similarly across multiple devices.

The enhancer can be triggered when a new page is loaded in the browser,or when the page is refreshed or updated, such as by an Ajax call thatdynamically loads or modifies page elements. The enhancer can operate inconjunction with a rendering engine or web browser engine to identifyinput fields while rendering the page. In this variation, the enhancercan modify the code for a page as the page is being parsed and/orrendered. The enhancer can operate as a post-loading operation that goesback and revises an already loaded and rendered page. In either way, theenhancer modifies the functionality of an identified input field tocapture and redirect the input to a local or remote server to providesimilar or the same functionality as a unified input field. Then, theserver can communicate with the browser to implement the variousbenefits and functionalities of the unified input field, such aspresenting previews of one-click purchase actions as tears on thewebpage, as new tabs or windows, expose such one-click purchase actionsvia the “search” button or some other button, and so forth.

The system can mark an input field or present some kind of visual oraudible indication that the input field has been modified or enabled asa unified input field. For example, when the system detects a standardtext input field, such as the search field at the top of ebay.com, thesystem can determine whether that standard text input field is suitablefor repurposing as a unified input field. If the system makes a positivedetermination, then the system can modify the standard text inputfield's functionality as well as its appearance. For example, the systemcan render a different color border around the text field, or can make anoise when focus moves on to or in the text input field or when a mouseor text cursor enters the text field. The system can apply a change insize, font, appearance, or even introduce an animation highlighting themodified text field. User preferences can also dictate how the systemhighlights the modified text field.

Then, when the user enters text into the modified text field, the systemcan process the input via the classifier to determine an intent, andgenerate one or more actions which can be taken based on the intent. Insome cases, if the classifier is unable to determine an intent above acertainty threshold, then the system may not present any actions basedon the input, and may choose to wait for additional input which maychange the intent and/or the certainty threshold. How the systemdetermines to present the one-click actions based on the determinedintent may vary based on the browser displaying the page, or the layoutof the page hosting the modified text field. For example, if the textfield has sufficient adjacent white space, the system can renderone-click buttons proximate to the text field for performing the variousactions. The system can present drop-down menus with one-click actionsas part of the browser, outside the rendered web page containing themodified text field. The system can use JavaScript to modify orrearrange certain page elements to temporarily or permanently (for thelife the page as rendered) accommodate user interface elements for theone-click actions. The system can use JavaScript to overlay new userinterface elements on top of the rendered page for providing access tothe one-click actions. In one example, the system presents userinterface elements that look like “tears” that peek through the renderedpage to show a portion of a page that appears to be beneath the renderedpage.

However, even when a text field has been modified, the system can stillpreserve the original functionality of an input field, while extendingthe input field to also act as a unified input field. For example, theuser can toggle between the modified functionality and the originalfunctionality by pressing shift in the beginning of the input field. Thesystem can also toggle the appearance of the modified input field toindicate to which function of the modified input field the user isdirecting input.

The system can identify text fields which are candidates to be modified,but can leave them untouched until receiving some user command or inputrequesting the unified input field functionality. For example, thesystem can provide access to unified input field functionality, upon theuser activating or requesting the functionality by pressing a key or keycombination, or double clicking in the input field. The user can, inthis manner, toggle between different functionalities for the inputfield. This can be beneficial to avoid breaking some websites that relyon specific functionality of the input field. However, the system canoverlay the unified input functionality over the existing, originalfunctionality of the input field, without hindering its operation. Forexample, the system can implement the unified input field one-clickactions in a different region of the user interface, while allowing theoriginal functionality to proceed unchanged. Or the system canincorporate the original functionality as one of the one-click actionspresented via the unified input functionality. For example, if the userentered the text “iPhone 5C 32 GB yellow” in a modified input field oneBay.com, the system can generate a set of buttons overlaid on top ofthe page via JavaScript: a first one-click action button for purchasingthe indicated iPhone 5C via Amazon.com, a second one-click action buttonfor purchasing the indicated iPhone 5C via Apple.com, a third one-clickaction button for purchasing the indicated iPhone 5C viaattwireless.com, and a fourth one-click action button for implementingthe original input field functionality of executing a search of auctionson eBay.com.

The system can further adapt the functionality of the unified inputfield based on the detected type of browser or available space on theinterface. For instance, the system can present a user interface that isconsistent with the look and feel of the page hosting the modified inputfield. If the page hosting the modified input field has advertisements,the system can position the one-click action buttons or other userinterface elements in such a way to avoid obscuring thoseadvertisements. This setting can be dictated by code or settings in thepage hosting the modified input field, such as a token or instructionintended to guide the behavior of a modified input field.

In one example, a website can pre-modify an input field by making itunified input field aware. In cases when the website detects that theuser does not participate in or use unified input fields, the inputfield can retain its original functionality. However, when the websitedetects that the user does participate in or uses unified input fields,such as by detecting a cookie in the user's browser, the website canpreemptively modify or activate the unified input field to provide amore familiar interface for that user. The website can interact with aserver for managing such unified input field requests via an establishedapplication programming interface (API).

FIG. 21 illustrates a method example. The steps in the method examplecan be performed in any order, can be performed in other combinations orpermutations that include additional steps or exclude all or part ofsome of the described steps. The system can present in a first userinterface a first input field associated with a first website processedvia a browser, the first website being a purchasing website in which auser searches for products to purchase (2102). The system can analyzethe input from the user into the first input field to determine whetherthe user desires to perform a generalized search or to make a purchaseto yield a determination (2104). An example of a generalized search isone that a person might do on Google.com. For example, the user mightsearch using the term “North Dakota.” In that case, they are looking forinformation on that state. However, if the user is at the URL forAmazon.com, entering in “North Dakota” would not necessarily mean thatthey desire to make a real estate purchase of the entire state. Thatuser input has a strong indication that they do not want to make apurchase but rather to perform a generalized search in contrast tosearching for products to purchase on Amazon.com. If the determinationindicates that the user desires to perform a search, and without anyother input from the user other than the input, the system cantransition, at least in part, the user from the first website to asecond website that can process the search (2106). Transitioning theuser from the first website to a second website can include presentingthe second website via a tear in the first user interface revealing atleast a portion of the second website. Then the user can provide anindication through the tear that the user desires to navigate to thesecond website, and based on the indication, the system can navigate theuser to the second website. The system can select a position of the tearin the first website based on an analysis of a structure of the firstwebsite. The system can prepopulate a second input field associated witha second website with the input (2108), and can preprocess the secondwebsite using the input in the second input field such that the user isin a state of viewing selectable search results after the transitioning(2110).

FIG. 22 illustrates some of the basic components 2200 of this example.An application like a browser 2202 or smartphone app can have anenhancer 2204 which is a module or a component that can communicate witha database of user preferences 2212 for helping to improve theprocessing of input via any input field. The browser 2202 cancommunicate via a network 2206 with a web server 2208 which serves up awebsite or application such as amazon.com. The browser and/or enhancer2204 can also communicate with a unified input field server 2210 via anetwork 2206. This unified input field server 2210 can also communicatewith the database of user preferences 2212 as instructed by the browser2202 to tailor the processing of user input accordingly. Using thisapproach, the system can process and turn any input field served up fromany web server 2208, into a unified input field by virtue of connectingthe processing to the unified input field server 2210. In this manner,while the user may be on a web site such as Amazon.com, which has inputfields that typically expect items of purchase, and that input field canbe turned into a more unified input field for jumping to other placesand performing other functions as well. Thus, utilizes the connection tothe unified input field server 2210, that amazon.com input field canbecome the jumping off point for a generalized search, a phone call, aSkype-type call, a video conference, or any other purpose which can beachieved through a more flexible and open input field processingapproach as disclosed herein.

Searching Via an Application-Based Portal Rather than a Website

FIG. 23 illustrates a method example. This example focuses more onapplications communication one with another rather than websites. Thebasic concepts are similar, however, for searching and including thepayment processes and APIs used between the app and a module configuredfor managing a user interface. For example, a user having a tablet or asmartphone may have an application for performing searches. This isdifferent from a browser on the device that enables the user to justnavigate to a search engine URL. The application, which again can beanything such as a search app, or a Skype or FaceTime app, a bankingapplication, etc. Any application of a first type can have an inputfield. The point here is to turn that input field which traditionally isassociated with a particular purpose of the application, into a moregeneralized input field that can process the input and determine whetherthe user should automatically be transitioned to another app. Switchingbetween a browser and an application is also possible. For example, theuser could be on a smartphone using a browser application with the URLpositioned on www.google.com. The user, however, may enter in a productinto the search field. The system (locally, on a server, or viaprocessing using a combination of both) determines that the user desiresto make a purchase based on the input. The system could automaticallylaunch an Amazon.com application (rather than transitioning toamazon.com via the browser), pre-negotiate such that the input and the“state” of the amazon.com application is positioned using the input toeither present search results as though the user had already launchedthe application and search, or could position the application in a“one-click” state where the user simply makes the purchase.

A method includes receiving input from a user via a unified input fieldassociated with a first application of a first type (2302) and analyzingthe input to determine whether a process to be carried out on the inputshould be processed by a second application of a second type to yield adetermination, wherein the first type and the second type are differenttypes (2304). If the determination indicates that to carry out theintent of the user according to the input, the second application shouldprocess the input, then the system communicates with the secondapplication information including the input, wherein the secondapplication is started and preprocessed using the input to yield thesecond application in a processed state (2306). Finally, the systempresents the second application to the user in the processed state(2308).

The presenting occurs without any additional input from the user tonavigate to the second application. Communicating with the secondapplication can further include communicating at least one of thefollowing to the second application: user identification information,payment account information, delivery address information, and userpreferences. As noted above, the process can involve switching betweenbrowsers at particular websites to apps on a smartphone or tablet, orother devices. An application in this case is generally known. It is asoftware product purchased or downloaded for free that performstypically a single general purpose task like enabling purchases throughAmazon, or handling video and audio calls like Skype. Such applicationsof course differ from the URL which can be associated with the samecompany but provide different mechanisms of accessing the services ofthat company.

The first application and the second application are one of smartphoneapplications and tablet applications. Again, in another aspect, thisdisclosure provides a description of switching between a URL (website)and an application. The system can automatically close the firstapplication and start and present the second application in theprocessed state on a user interface. This enables the user to avoid theprocess of closing one app and manually launching the desiredapplication. In one example, the first type is a search type and thesecond type is a product purchasing type. The first type can, forexample, be a type not associated with purchasing products and thesecond type can be associated with purchasing products. This provides anexample of switching between contexts, types, applications purpose andso forth, but while using a single input field. This approach reducesthe interactions necessary for a user to get a function performed(search, purchase, delivery, call, etc.) because it eliminates the needto navigate to a separate URL or a separate application that performsthe desired function. In one example, the first application can processa payment for an item and coordinate with the second application fordelivery of the item to a buyer.

The payment processes disclosed herein also apply to apps such that thevarious ways that a website can obtain payment can also apply to appsand the functionality that is built into the app and into a moduleconfigured to manage a user interface can be implemented to simplify thepayment process within an app.

Selecting a Transition Type Between Search Interfaces

FIG. 24 illustrates a method example. This example focuses on choosingthe mode of transitioning from one interface to another. A methodincludes receiving input from a user via a unified input field on afirst application that enables multiple different processing types(2402) and analyzing the input to determine an intent of the user(2404). Based on a user profile, the method includes determining a modeof transitioning the user from the first application to a secondapplication to yield a chosen mode (2406), the mode being chosen from agroup of modes and, based on the chosen mode, transitioning the userfrom the first application to the second application (2408).

The first application can be one of a first website and a firstsmartphone/tablet application and the second application is one of asecond website and a second smartphone/tablet application. The group ofmodes can include: a tear, an autochange, a search button morph, a dropup menu, a drop-down menu, a processing indictor morph and multiplereduced size one-click enabled windows. A “tear” represents an openingin a first interface that makes it appear that the first interface istearing open to reveal another interface below it. So if the firstapplication was google.com, and the user entered a search term that wasdetermined to indicate that the user desires to make a purchase, anopening or a tear in the white space of the google.com page could appearand through that opening would appear a portion of an amazon.comwebpage, preprocessed with the search term, such that the user can clickon the opening space and easily transition from google.com to amazon.comwith the input field data also transitioning as well. This approachreduces the number of necessary clicks. The autochange featureautomatically replaces the URL from google.com to amazon.com (orwhatever the two different websites are) without user input such thatwhen the system determines that a switch is needed, it automaticallydoes it and perhaps further processing to place the destination websitein a one-click purchasing state based on the user input. The searchbutton (the button that indicates what process is performed if a userclicks “enter”) can morph in its functionality based on the user input.A notification of the function to be processed can also morph as well.Drop up, drop-down, extension menus can also be provided which not onlydo auto complete but also present one-click purchasing options, callingoptions, video conferencing options, etc. These various modes presentalternate mechanisms of transitioning automatically to a new webpage,application or function. However, given that there are different ways ofmaking such a transition, the user can present and store preferences ofhow to make that transition. Alternately, various options could bepresented and user history, previous searching and internet orapplication usage or other factors outside of or in connection with theuser profile could be used to make the decision of the chosen mode.

The “tear” open to another page can include a one-click option that theuser can click to make a one-click purchase. The system can maintainthat tear view of the other page on the search interface while executingadditional searches, exploring other search results, or browsing toother websites. For example, the user can “pin” the tear in place so itremains available while the user conducts additional browsing activity.Thus, the user could hold the one-click-purchase tear while reviewing,studying, searching around the web, and the user can still use the tearto make a purchase later on.

Transitioning the user can include transitioning the user without theuser navigating manually to the second application. Transitioning theuser can be achieved through the user performing a single click actionto initiate and complete the transitioning. Transitioning the user fromthe first application to the second application can further includepreprocessing the second application using at least one of the input,user identification, user account information, user delivery informationand user preferences, to yield the second application in a one-clickpurchasing state. For example, the first application can process thepayment and coordinate necessary data to the second application fordelivery. Determining the mode can further be based on a screenconfiguration of a device running the first application. The mode mayalso be changing from one type of application (like a website accessedvia a browser) to another type of application, like a smartphone/tabletapplication. All of the preprocessing and so forth can occur in anytransition such that the user is positioned in a state within thedestination that enables them to either browse search results (say onAmazon where the input provided on google.com is used to present searchresults) or in a one-click state where the user can just click topurchase an item.

Advertisements

FIG. 25 illustrates a method example. This example relates to howvarious advertisements can be presented in connection with the use of aunified input field disclosed herein. A method includes receiving inputfrom a user via a unified input field in a first website that canprocess the input in a number of different ways (2502). The firstwebsite could also be a first application or first user interface. Themethod includes identifying an advertisement associated with a secondwebsite or application (2504) and presenting the advertisement in a wayassociated with a mode of transitioning from one web site (application)to another web site (application). There are various ways oftransitioning smoothly and the advertising can be tailored to the modeof transition. For example, the ad can be presented one of the followingways or associated with one of the following transitions: a tear withinthe first website that reveals at least a portion of the second website,in a manner associated with an extension menu identifying the secondwebsite and available for selection by the user, in a manner associatedwith a morphed search button that alternates its function based on anintent identified from the input, in a manner associated with anautomatic transition from the first website to the second websitewithout user direct navigation and in a manner associated with anegotiated version of the second website which places the second websiteinto a one-click purchasing state for selection by the user (2506).

There are a number of different ways of transitioning from a first inputfield context or environment to another without the need of the useractively navigating to the destination environment. In this example,since the system knows the intent of the user based on the analysis ofthe input data of the user, the system can use that intent and theknowledge of the destination site to present advertisements at somepoint during the transition.

For example, if the user is on google.com and enters “iPhone 5s 64 GBsilver” the system may determine that the intent is to make a purchase.A tear could open up in the white space of the webpage revealing aportion of an amazon.com page in a purchase state where the user canjust “one-click” and buy the iPhone and have it delivered. However,elsewhere on the white space, the system could present a Samsung deviceadvertisement, which also could be positioned in a one-click state totempt the user to purchase a different product or to explore a differentproduct. Presenting the advertisement could be based on a price paid forthe advertisement. A position within an extension menu of the secondwebsite or application of the advertisement could also be based on anegotiated price. In this case, when an extension menu is presented, ahighest paid advertiser could be positioned closest to the input field.Presenting the advertisement in one of the ways identified can be chosenbased on a negotiated price. The method can include transitioning theuser from the first website (or application) to the second website (orapplication) based on an intent identified from the input and withoutmanual user navigation.

Presenting Previews of Destination Web Sites in a Universal SearchInterface

FIG. 26 illustrates a method example. This example focuses on presentingone or more miniature versions of destination websites or modifiedversions of other websites as a result of processing the input of theunified input field. For example, presenting a small version ofamazon.com featuring the product associated with the input andpreprocessed such that the user can touch a “one-click” button and makea purchase. A method example includes receiving input from a user via aunified input field associated with a first website of a first type(2602) and analyzing the input to determine whether a process to becarried out on the input should be processed by a second website of asecond type to yield a determination, wherein the first type and thesecond type are different types (2604). If the determination indicatesthat to carry out the intent of the user according to the input, thesecond website should process the input, then the method causes aprocessor to perform the operation of communicating to the secondwebsite information including the input, wherein the second website isstarted and preprocessed using the input to yield the second website ina processed state (2606). The processed state could be a search resultsstate which is the equivalent of the user navigating to the otherwebsite and entering in the input and searching for products. Theprocessed state can be a best and most likely resulting product that theuser desires to buy, based on their input and other factors, inconnection with a one-click option to purchase that product. The buyoption, when interacted with by a user, can result in the systemprocessing a payment via payment data stored with the first applicationand coordinating delivery of the item via a second application. Themethod includes presenting the second website to the user in theprocessed state in an area on a user interface in a position around theunified input field (2608).

The presenting can occur without any additional input from the user tonavigate to the second website. In other words, the user just types inthe input into the input field and the preprocessing of the otherwebsites and presentation of those websites in one of a number ofpossible preprocessed states is performed automatically and without anynavigation input from the user. The number of alternate websitespresented in processed states could be also done based on the amount ofdisambiguation information needed. If the user only puts in “iPhone 5s”then many alternate preprocessed websites could be presented for 32 GBone-click purchase, gold 64 GB one-click purchase, etc. The user can seethese various offerings and disambiguate by simply typing indisambiguation data such as “32” and “silver”. The presentation then ofthe other website can automatically morph such that it narrows down theofferings to perhaps a one-click from Amazon and a one-click from Apple.FIG. 27 illustrates the interface 2700 with the search field 2702,search button 2704 and various alternate destination sites such as onefrom Amazon or Google 2706 for a one-click purchase, and Apple website2708 for a one-click purchase. In this case, feature 2706 can representa type of advertisement of a plurality of advertisements in which aone-click or a simplified payment process is available in which the userdoes not transition away from the search entity but in which a paymentis handled using payment data stored at the search entity. Apple onethis scenario of course can represent any merchant that communicates viaan API with the search engine/social media/non-merchant site. Theone-click or buy option button 2714 can be an indication that theadvertisement 2708 is configured to enable an improved paymentprocessing in which stored payment information at the site, a searchentity related site, or via a server like Apple Pay can be used toprocess the payment and the delivery is managed and completed by themerchant. Thus, the user may click on the ad 2706 or 2708 or the button2714 and be asked to complete the purchasing process according to thisimproved set of steps which reduces the pain of fully being transferredto the merchant website to again enter in payment information. Thus, inthis sense, the “one-click” button 2714 can mean literally one-click oran indication that the user desires to make the purchase using this newpayment processing/delivery approach disclosed herein. A few more clicksmight be necessary, including biometric identification, but the userdoes not have to enter credit card, address or other purchase relatedinformation. This can represent a first type of purchasing in a searchresult of a plurality of search results in which the user is nottransitioned to a merchant site but remains with the search engineentity which handles the payment to simplify the payment process. Thesearch entity then notifies the merchant of the sale and deliverydetails.

An eBay website 2710 with a one-click purchase or a one-click bid buttonand an Amazon search results offering 2712 wherein if the user clickthat button, the URL switches to amazon.com and is preprocessed asthough the user had entered in “iPhone 5s 32 GB” and hit “search”directly on Amazon.com. This represents a different type or a secondtype of search result in the plurality of search results in which theuser is transitioned in the more traditional fashion to the merchantsite for completing the purchase. As can be appreciated, preprocessingthe input in this way reduces the number of interactions necessary bythe user to navigate from a search website like Google.com to a productpurchasing website like Amazon.com and then provide input to search andmake a purchase. In another aspect, the transitioning to the second sitelike Amazon.com can utilize data stored in a browser such as one-clicksettings such that the user lands on the destination site in a deep linkstate where they can purchase the produce in one click. The approachdisclosed in FIG. 27 provides the improvement of presenting multipledifferent types of search results in which one type enables the user tonot transition to the merchant site but process a payment for a productusing payment data stored with the search entity. Another type of searchresult for a product can, when clicked on, transition the user to themerchant site for completing or finalizing the purchase. These multipleresults are returned simultaneously from the same search input on ageneralized search input field or other field. Some search results maybe accessed as well by clicking on an object which produces additionalsearch results. For example, there may be 8 product results from thesearch in FIG. 27 with results 1-4 shown. The user may need to click onan arrow or “additional results” object to view the other results.

The processed state can include one of a state wherein the user couldperform a single click which would cause a purchase and delivery of anitem associated with the input without transitioning to a merchant site(such as, for example, staying with the search entity site for managingthe purchase) or wherein the user could perform a single click and viewsearch results on the second website as though the user had navigated tothe second website and entered in the input for a search. The method caninclude identifying a third web site that could process the input andpresenting the third web site in the area on the user interface in asecond position around the unified input field. FIG. 27 illustrates thisapproach. The second website and the third website can be in differentstates. Further, a position of the second website and the third websiterelative to the unified input field can be dependent on which of thesecond website and the third website has a most likely intent based onthe input. Clicking on the “one-click” or the “search” button in one ofthe destination sites not only causes the purchase and delivery but alsocauses an automatic transitioning from the first website URL (such aswww.google.com) to the chosen website URL (such as www.amazon.com). Inother words, clicking on the “one-click” button (or other functionbutton such as “search results”) not only processes the purchase anddelivery but also, in some cases, causes the transition to the other website. In other cases, the user does not transition to the merchant sitebut has the purchase processed by the search entity using stored paymentdata at the search entity. If a user had navigated to www.amazon.cominitially and searched until they click on the one-click purchasingbutton, then they would see at www.amazon.com the notice “Thank you foryour 1-click purchase, it is being processed.” At that stage, the usercould go to their account and change or cancel the order, track theorder etc. Feature 2706 can represent a transition to a merchant site orcan represent a maintenance of the user at the search entity site forprocessing the payment. In one example, by clicking on the one-clickbutton, presented in feature 2706 of FIG. 27 , which is presented on theURL www.google.com, the system automatically causes the URL to change towww.amazon.com in such a processed states as to present that message:“Thank you for your 1-click purchase, it is being processed.” At thatstage, there is no difference in essence between the initial navigationto www.amazon.com and this automatic transition from www.google.com. Ofcourse, the navigation can be from any website or application to anyother website or application. The transition can also include separatingthe processing of payment and managing delivery. For example, google.comcould handle payment for an item without transitioning the user to themerchant site (i.e., maintaining the user at a googe.com site or relatedsite to google.com for processing the payment) but coordinate at theback end with www.merchant.com for delivery of the order. The searchentity might also have another web site used for processing payments butthat is related to and managed by Google. In this manner, the user canhave a choice in their search result advertisement options between adsthat enable them to stay within a Google environment and make a simplepayment (without the need of manually inputting data at a merchant site)using payment data stored with Google, or they can choose anadvertisement of a traditional type in which they are transitioned tothe merchant website. Both types of advertisements can be presented inthe same search result set. Some of the results may be also not showninitially because of the number of search results and thereby retrievedthrough a user interaction with the user interface to see additionalsearch results. In some cases, the additional search results includeadvertisements of a particular type or both types. At least one of afirst product advertisement and a second product advertisement can beviewed by the user on a user interface after the user interacts with theuser interface to view additional advertisements from an initial set ofadvertisements presented to the user in direct response to the userinput. In order to achieve the coordination between merchants and thegeneralized search entity to provide the alternate payment approach, themerchants can coordinate via APIs, contracts, and other technicalmechanisms to make their products available to the search entity topresent search results with these different types of configurations.Search results and also be presented in more than two types ofconfigurations, such as traditional transitions, payment processesmanaged by the search entity, payment request API payment processes,app-based processes, cryptocurrency processes, and so forth.

FIG. 28A illustrates another example related to the processing disclosedherein. A system can present an input field on a user interface, whereinthe input field is associated with a generalized Internet search enginethat serves search results based on crawling and indexing web pages fromat least 25,000 individual domains (2800). This number of course canchange but it is meant to distinguish between an Internet search viaGoogle or Yahoo versus a search on a single website like searchingwww.newyorktimes.com. The method includes receiving user input from auser in the input field (2802) and presenting a user-selectable optionon the user interface, the user-selectable option being associated withprocessing a purchase of an item associated with the user input, whereinthe purchase is processed and completed via a process-purchasing engine(which can be operated by the input field entity) and based on a singleinteraction between the user and the user-selectable option, the singleinteraction being a first interaction after receiving the user input(2804). The delivery of the item can be accomplished via a separatemerchant from the input field entity.

As an example, a user enters in the iPhone 6 into the search field, thusthe “user input” is “iPhone 6”. The user types in the text and hits“enter” or “search”. The system processes that input and constructs aninteraction for the user that enables the user, without performing anyfurther interactions after hitting “enter” (i.e., no need to navigate toanother website or jump to another application), such that the nextinteraction can be (does not have to be but is structured such that itcan be) a user interaction with the user-selectable option to buy(purchase and/or deliver) the iPhone 6. Thus, the method includesreceiving the single interaction with the user-selectable option fromthe user (2806) and processing, based on the single interaction, thepurchase of the item associated with the user input (2808). Of coursethe processing can include purchase and delivery. Other optionsavailable to the user of course could include tailoring the purchasingprocess to be a delivery to a relative or friend (someone other than thepurchaser), or to pay in a different way that is preferable set on theuser profile. Much like purchasing processes and capabilities withoutlets like Amazon.com, the present disclosure encompasses all suchfunctionality at this stage as well. For example, the interaction withthe buy option can result in the first entity associated with theunified input field processing a payment of an item and coordinatingwith a separate merchant for filling or finalizing the order bydelivering the item to the buyer. The first entity would then handlemaking a payment to the merchant.

FIG. 28B illustrates another example which does not require the user toactually make a purchase. A method includes presenting an input field ona user interface of a generalized search entity, wherein the generalizedsearch entity processes data using a generalized search engine thatindexes and searches both merchant sites and non-merchant sites (2820),receiving a query (such as, for example, a text-based query, althoughother input modes are contemplated) in the input field (2822), andcorrelating the text-based query against a product database of productsfor sale from merchants to yield a correlation (2824). The correlationcan simply mean accessing a database of products to determine whether aproduct is in inventory which could be presented as part of a searchresult with a buy option.

The method includes determining, based at least in part on thecorrelation, that the query is associated with one of a search intentand a purchase intent to yield a determination (2826). When thedetermination indicates the search intent, the method includespresenting a search result including a non-merchant site (2828),receiving a search interaction associated with the non-merchant site(2830) and transitioning, based on the search interaction, to thenon-merchant site (2832). When the determination indicates the purchaseintent, the method includes presenting a purchase-related search resultincluding a buy option associated with the query (2834). Thepurchase-related search result can be configured such that when a userinteracts with the purchase-related search result and confirms apurchase via interacting with the buy option, the generalized searchentity (or a separate payment service, separate from the merchant)initiates processing of the purchase of an item. The method can includeoptionally receiving an interaction from the user associated with thepurchase-related search result (2836). The structure of the searchresult having the buy option is part of this aspect. The userinteracting with the search result and/or completing a purchasingtransaction are optional features.

The method can include receiving, from the user, an interaction with thebuy option and managing the purchase of the item based on paymentinformation stored at the generalized search entity, a browser, oranother payment service, wherein delivery of the item is handled via amerchant site separate from the generalized search entity. The user canhave a pre-existing account storing preferences governing how one of thesearch result, the purchase-related search result and the buy option ispresented. The purchase-related search result can include an optionselectable by a user to receive further search results. The userinterface can in one aspect be on a mobile device. In another aspect,the purchase-related search result can be further configured such thatwhen the user interacts with the purchase-related search resultindicating a desire to transition to a merchant site, the method furtherincludes transitioning to the merchant site associated with thepurchase-related search result. In this case, typically the merchantwould proceed with processing the payment. In other words, the searchresult can include a buy option but can also include an option oftransitioning to the merchant site for continued searching and/or tomake the purchase. The generalized search entity and the merchant sitecan communicate via an application programming interface for managingthe purchase and delivery of the item.

In another aspect, the steps can be performed by the merchant. In thiscase, the merchant establishes, from a merchant site, communicationbetween the merchant site and a generalized search entity via acommunication interface. The generalized search entity processesinquiries in the manner set forth above. The merchant provides access toproduct inventory and through an API will provide product offerings andreceive payments from the generalized search entity or other paymentservice as well as data about purchases such that the merchant canprocess and manage delivery.

Social Media

The disclosure now returns to social media or search sitesfunctionality. FIG. 29 illustrates a general example of a method whichcan apply across different sites between a search site likewww.google.com and social networking sites. The concept is to change theconventional processing of any of these sites to technically determinethrough the use of unconventional steps whether the user has included inthe input to the site (text, image, video, tweet, etc.) that has apurchase/sale intent. The first step is to receive user input into thesite (2902). The system evaluates the user input for data that points toa product database (2904). The system may determine that no intentexists or may not identify a link to a product database or any referenceto a product that may match products listed in a product database. Whenthere is no reference to a product database, the system processes theuser input in the conventional fashion for the respective site (Google,Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest) (2906). When there is some kindof data within the user input that links to a product database, thesystem changes to unconventional processing to present a buy optionassociated with recipients of the further processing of the user input(2908). Recipients of tweets, Facebook posts, Instagram pictures,results of a Google search, etc., and the like, will see a buy optionand be enabled to purchase the product within the site through a servicelike Apple Pay or through the site storing and processing payment datafor a user. When the user interacts with the buy option, new processingoccurs to process the payment and/or delivery of the item. For example,a smooth transition from the site to a deep-link into a merchant orseller site that posted the user input can occur such that the user caneasily purchase the item from the merchant site (2910). Alternately, thesite can store payment information or a separate payment service can beutilized to process payment generally at the site and not by themerchant directly or through the merchant site.

Another aspect of this concept is characterized by a method includingpresenting, via a processor, an input field on a user interface of ageneralized search entity, wherein the generalized search entityprocesses data using a generalized search engine that indexes to enablesearching of non-merchant sites. The method includes receiving userinput in the input field and when the user input does not correspond todata in a product database that is provided to the generalized searchentity, (1) presenting a search result including a non-merchant site,(2) receiving a search interaction associated with the non-merchant siteand (3) transitioning to the non-merchant site.

When the user input corresponds to a product in the product database,the method includes presenting a purchase-related search result. Thepurchase-related search result can be configured such that when a userinteracts with the purchase-related search result and confirms apurchase associated with the purchase-related search result, thegeneralized search entity initiates a purchasing process for theproduct. The method can further include correlating the user inputagainst the product database to yield a correlation, wherein thecorrelation is included when determining whether the user inputcorresponds to the product in the product database.

The method can also further include receiving an interaction associatedwith the purchase-related search result to confirm the purchase of theproduct and processing the purchase of the product by the generalizedsearch entity using user payment data stored with the generalized searchentity. The merchant associated with the purchase-related search resultcan provide the product database associated with products available atthe merchant available to the generalized search entity for generatingthe purchase-related search result. In one aspect, the method includesreceiving an interaction with a buy option associated with thepurchase-related search result and managing a purchase of the productbased on payment information stored at the generalized search entity,wherein delivery of the product is handled via a merchant site separatefrom the generalized search entity. The generalized search entity canreceive a payment for initiating the purchasing process. In anotheraspect, the purchase-related search result can be viewable when the userselects a set of additional search results after being presented with afirst set of search results. This can occur when there are too manysearch results to show at a same time on a viewing screen of a device.

In another aspect, from the merchant standpoint, a method can includeproviding, via a processor, a database of products from a merchant to ageneralized search entity and receiving a payment for a product sold bythe merchant. In this scenario, the product can be purchased on-line orin-app by a user, wherein the product is found and purchased by the userby operations performed by the generalized search entity. The operationsperformed by the generalized search entity include presenting an inputfield on a user interface, wherein the generalized search entityprocesses data using a generalized search engine that indexes to enablesearching non-merchant sites, and receiving, in the input field, userinput from the user. When the user input does not correspond to data inthe database of products, the operations include (1) presenting a searchresult including a non-merchant site, (2) receiving a search interactionassociated with the non-merchant site and (3) transitioning to thenon-merchant site. When the user input corresponds to a product in thedatabase of products, the operations include presenting apurchase-related search result for the product. The purchase-relatedsearch result can be configured such that when a user interacts with thepurchase-related search result and confirms the payment associated withthe product in the purchase-related search result, the generalizedsearch entity initiates a purchasing process for the product.

In another aspect, a method includes presenting an input field on a userinterface of a generalized search entity, wherein the generalized searchentity processes data using a generalized search engine that indexes andsearches both merchant sites and non-merchant sites, receiving userinput in the input field, wherein the user input includes a text-basedquery, correlating the text-based query against a product database ofproducts for sale from merchants to yield a correlation, anddetermining, via a processor and based on the correlation, that the userinput into one of a search intent and a purchase intent to yield adetermination. When the determination indicates the search intent, themethod includes presenting a search result including a non-merchantsite, receiving a search interaction associated with the non-merchantsite and transitioning to the non-merchant site.

When the determination indicates the purchase intent, the methodincludes presenting a purchase-related search result including a buyoption associated with the user input, wherein the purchase-relatedsearch result is configured such that when a user interacts with thepurchase-related search result and confirms a purchase via interactingwith the buy option, the generalized search engine initiates processingof a purchase of an item and receiving an interaction associated withthe purchase-related search result.

Another aspect of this disclosure relates to how to present a group ofsearch results in order to take into account this new structure forpresenting search results as well as how to present a more traditionaladvertisement. A method in this regard includes receiving a user inputat an input field of a generalized search engine operated by ageneralized search entity, and in response to the user input, presentinga plurality of search results. The plurality of search results includesa first product advertisement configured according to a first type ofadvertisement. The first product advertisement, when selected by a user,can be configured to transition the user to a merchant site associatedwith the first product advertisement such that the user interacts withthe merchant site to receive a payment for a first product. In responseto the user input, the method includes presenting, as part of theplurality of search results, a second product advertisement configuredaccording to a second type of advertisement. The second productadvertisement, when selected by the user, can be configured to enable apurchase of a second product. The purchase of the second product isinitiated by the generalized search entity using payment data for theuser that is stored with the generalized search entity, a network-basedpayment entity, or on a user device. In this case the user does nottransition to the merchant site but the generalized search entityhandles the initiation of the payment process. This reduces friction andprovides a more amazon.com type of experience although the userinitiated the search on a generalized search entity. The purchase of thesecond product being initiated by the generalized search entity includesnot transitioning the user to the merchant site as part of the purchaseof the second product. When the user selects the second productadvertisement and the purchase of the second product is managed by thegeneralized search entity, the method includes notifying a merchant whosold the second product of a sale and providing delivery information forthe user to the merchant from the generalized search entity.

The first product and the second product can represent a same product ora different product. At least one of the first product advertisement andthe second product advertisement are viewed by the user on a userinterface after the user interacts with the user interface to request toview additional advertisements from a set of advertisements initiallypresented to the user in direct response to the user input. This is thecase where there are too many search results to show them all on a sameuser interface.

The plurality of search results can further include a third productadvertisement having a third type of advertisement, wherein the firsttype of advertisement, the second type of advertisement, and the thirdtype of advertisement each have a different payment process.

The first type of advertisement and the second type of advertisement candiffer with respect to whether selecting the first product advertisementor the second product advertisement, to yield a selected advertisement,transitions the user to a merchant associated with the selectedadvertisement.

In another aspect, a method includes receiving a user input at an inputfield of a generalized search engine operated by a generalized searchentity and in response to the user input, presenting a plurality ofsearch results. The plurality of search results can include a firstproduct advertisement configured according to a first type ofadvertisement, wherein the first product advertisement, when selected bya user, is configured to transition the user to a merchant siteassociated with the first product advertisement such that the userinteracts with the merchant site to manage a payment for a firstproduct. In response to the user input, the method can includepresenting, as part of the plurality of search results, a second productadvertisement configured according to a second type of advertisement,wherein the second product advertisement, when selected by the user, isconfigured to enable a purchase of a second product, wherein thepurchase of the second product is initiated by the generalized searchentity using payment data for the user that is stored with thegeneralized search entity or on a user device.

From the standpoint of a merchant entity, a method can include providinga database of products associated with a first merchant site to ageneralized search entity, and receiving a communication from thegeneralized search entity that a user purchased a first product from thedatabase of products associated with the first merchant site throughoperations managed by the generalized search entity. The operations caninclude (1) receiving a user input from the user at an input field of ageneralized search engine operated by the generalized search entity, and(2) in response to the user input, presenting a plurality of searchresults. The plurality of search results an include a first productadvertisement configured according to a first type of advertisement,wherein the first product advertisement, when selected by the user, isconfigured to enable a purchase of the first product from the firstmerchant site, wherein the purchase of the first product is initiated bythe generalized search entity using payment data for the user that isstored with the generalized search entity, a network based entity or ona user device. The operations can include (3) in response to the userinput, presenting, as part of the plurality of search results, a secondproduct advertisement configured according to a second type ofadvertisement, wherein the second product advertisement, when selectedby the user, is configured to transition the user to a second merchantsite associated with the second product advertisement such that the userinteracts with the second merchant site to manage a payment for a secondproduct.

FIG. 30 illustrates an example related to social media and particularlyto Facebook. An example method includes receiving a posting of at leastone of text, an image or a video through a social networking site,wherein the social networking site receives and transmits posted itemsfrom a posting entity to receiving entities (3000), and identifying dataassociated with the posting (3002), determining whether the dataidentifies a product within a database of products for sale from theposting entity to yield a determination (3004). When the determinationindicates that there is no reference to the product in the database ofproducts, the method includes transmitting the posting through thesocial networking site without an option to buy (3006). When thedetermination indicates that the posting references the product in thedatabase of products (which can indicate a sale-related intent), themethod includes transmitting the posting through the social networkingsite with a buy option associated with the product and receiving apurchase interaction from a buyer associated with the buy option (3008).This can simply include a user or recipient viewing or clicking on aposting to cause further processing to occur. Optionally, the methodincludes processing a purchase of the product based on the purchaseinteraction, such that processing the purchase occurs within the socialnetworking site or a webview presented version of the site. Processingthe purchase within the social networking site can be accomplishedthrough payment information stored at the social media site or throughanother payment service like PayPal® or Apple Pay®. The browser APIcould also be used to process a payment via a user interface. Theseservices are integrated with the site such that user interaction withthe buy button triggers a payment from one of the services which isintegrated into the process between the social media site and themerchant.

Determining whether the posting can be associated with the product inthe database of products from the posting entity can further includecommunicating between the social networking site and the database ofproducts via an application programming interface. The step ofprocessing delivery of the product can include informing the postingentity selling the product through an application programming interfaceto ship the product. A user can have a pre-existing account storingpreferences governing how the image or the video and the buy option arepresented and processed.

The process can also include with respect to a product database, a stepwherein when a correlation exists between a product identified in aposting from a posting entity and a product database, then providing bythe social media entity a payment or purchasing process in which theuser stays within the social media entity (i.e., is not transitioned tothe merchant site) to manage a payment process or initiate a paymentprocess. The coordination between the social media entity and theproduct database enables the user to view and confirm a purchase of theproduct all while in the social media entity. The user can then easilygo back to looking through a newsfeed or at other postings and thepurchasing process has much less friction. This aspect does not requirea separate determining step but takes certain actions when there is acorrelation to a product database. When there is no product listing orshown in a posting that is correlated to a product database, the postingis handled in a traditional fashion.

In another aspect, rather than processing the payment at the site asdescribed above, the method can include transitioning the buyer from thesocial networking site to a deep link in a site operated by the postingentity. In this manner, the merchant can receive the user at apreconfigured position and state within the merchant site for viewingand purchasing a product through the merchant site directly.

In another aspect, the method is practiced from the standpoint of themerchant. The merchant submits, as a posting entity, at least one oftext, an image or a video through a social networking site to yield aposting. The site then processes the posting as outlined above. If auser clicks on the posting or initiates processing towards a purchase ofan item in the posting, then the processing can include processing, bythe posting entity, a delivery of the product based on the purchaseinteraction. The posting entity can also receive the deep linktransition from the social media site to its own site for continuing toshop, process the payment and delivery of the item, and so forth. Thisprocess outlined above provides various aspects for managing buy buttonsthrough social media sites like Facebook and others.

FIG. 31 illustrates another example social media aspect which can beapplicable to such media as Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube, etc. Thesocial networking site can be one of a video or image sharing site, or apinboard site. The method includes receiving, from a posting entity, aposting of an image or a video through a social networking site, whereinthe social networking site receives and transmits posted items from theposting entity to receiving entities (3100), analyzing, via a processor,the posting of the image or the video for associated text-based data(3102), and determining whether the associated text-based dataidentifies a product within a product database for sale from the postingentity to yield a determination (3104). When the determination indicatesthat there is no reference to the product in the product database, themethod includes transmitting the posting of the image or the videothrough the social networking site without a buy now button (3106). Whenthe determination indicates that the posting of the image or the videoreferences the product in the product database (which can indicate asale-related intent), the method includes transmitting the posting ofthe image or the video through the social networking site with a buyoption associated with the posting of the image or the video, whereinthe buy option can include one of a button, a drop-down menu, or ahyperlink (3108) and receiving a purchase interaction associated withthe buy option (3110). Optionally, the method can include processing apurchase of an item based on the purchase interaction. This occurs whenthe recipient actually clicks on the posting and completes the purchase.Notably, the concept here generally involves the novel structure of theposting and not necessarily the payment processing when a user makes apurchase. The posting with a buy button could also simply be initiatedby the posting entity as an advertisement type posting with a buy buttonas part of the posting.

Determining whether the posting of the image or the video is associatedwith the product in the product database from the posting entity caninclude communicating between the social networking site and the productdatabase via an application programming interface. Processing deliveryof the item can include managing a payment for the item via a paymentaccount associated with the social networking site (i.e., stored at thesite or integrated with a separate payment service) in which the paymentaccount is not stored with the posting entity and informing the postingentity selling the item through an application programming interface toship the item. The user can have a pre-existing account storingpreferences governing how the posting of the image or the video and thebuy option are presented.

As with the Facebook example above, another aspect of the method can bepracticed from the standpoint of the merchant. The merchant submits, asa posting entity, at least one of text, an image or a video through asocial networking site to yield a posting. The site then processes theposting as outlined above. If a user clicks on the posting or initiatesprocessing towards a purchase of an item in the posting, then theprocessing can include processing, by the posting entity, a delivery ofthe product based on the purchase interaction. The posting entity canalso receive the deep link transition from the social media site to itsown site for continuing to shop, process the payment and delivery of theitem, and so forth. This process outlined above provides various aspectsfor managing buy buttons through social media sites like Pinterest,Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and others.

Another aspect of this social networking payment process can include thefollowing method. A method can include one or more of the followingsteps from the standpoint of the social networking entity: receiving,from a posting entity and at a social networking entity, a posting of atleast one of text, an image or a video. The social networking entity canreceive and transmit posted items from the posting entity to receivingentities. The method includes determining, via a processor, whether theposting is associated with a product within a product database, theproduct being for sale from the posting entity, to yield adetermination. When the determination indicates that there is noreference to the product in the product database, the method includestransmitting the posting through the social networking entity without anoption to buy. When the determination indicates that the postingreferences the product in the product database (which can indicate asale-related intent), the method includes transmitting the image or thevideo through the social networking entity with a buy option associatedwith the product, wherein the buy option includes on of a buy button, adrop-down menu, or a hyperlink.

Other steps can include receiving a purchase interaction associated withthe buy option and processing a purchase of an item based on thepurchase interaction, wherein initiating a process associated with thepurchase occurs within the social networking entity.

The social networking entity can store payment and address data as wellas other data for the user or it can retrieve them using one or more ofthe APIs disclosed herein. Determining whether the posting is associatedwith the product in the product database from the posting entity caninclude communicating between the social networking entity and theproduct database via an application programming interface. The socialnetworking entity can notify the posting entity selling the productthrough an application programming interface to ship the product. In oneaspect, a user can have a pre-existing account storing preferencesgoverning how the image or the video and the buy option are presented.For example, the user can designate crypto currency payments or ApplePay payment processes and so forth.

The social networking entity can include a website or an applicationdownloaded on a user device which enables users to perform one or moreof register, create a user profile, add friends, and exchange messagesand posts of text, images, and videos. The buy interaction is receivedfrom a recipient of the posting.

The approach can also be described from the standpoint of a merchant whoposts postings on the social networking entity. In this aspect, a methodincludes transmitting, from a posting entity, a posting of at least oneof text, an image or a video to a social networking entity, wherein thesocial networking entity receives and transmits posted items from theposting entity to receiving entities. The method includes providing,from the posting entity to the social networking entity, a productdatabase. When the posting references a product in the product database,the social networking entity can transmit the posting through the socialnetworking entity with a buy option associated with the product. Whenthe posting does not reference the product in the product database, thesocial networking entity can transmit the image or the video through thesocial networking entity without the buy option associated with theproduct. The buy option can be one of a buy button, a drop-down menu, ora hyperlink.

When a user interacts with the buy option, and based on a process ofpurchasing of the product being initiated within the social networkingentity, the method includes receiving a notification from the socialnetworking entity that the user has purchased the product and deliveringthe product to the user. The merchant receives a payment for the productbased on the process of purchasing of the product initiated within thesocial networking entity. One benefit of this approach is that the useris not transitioned to a posting entity site associated with the postingentity as part of the process of purchasing of the product. This reducesfriction in the payment process for the user and retains the user at thesocial networking entity.

Another aspect includes a method including transmitting, from a postingentity, a posting of at least one of text, an image or a video to asocial networking entity, wherein the social networking entity receivesand transmits posted items from the posting entity to receiving entitiesand providing, from the posting entity to the social networking entity,a product database. When the posting references a product in the productdatabase, the social networking entity can transmit the posting throughthe social networking entity with a buy option associated with theproduct, wherein the buy option includes one of a buy button, adrop-down menu, or a hyperlink. When a user interacts with the buyoption (while still within the context of the social media entity), andbased on a process of purchasing of the product being initiated withinthe social networking entity, the method includes receiving anotification from the social networking entity that the user haspurchased the product and delivering the product to the user. When theposting does not reference the product in the product database or thereis no correlation between a product in a product database, the socialnetworking entity transmits the image or the video through the socialnetworking entity. This could occur because there is no product in theposting, or because there is no correlation of a product database withthe social media entity. The posting then is handled in a moretraditional way such as without any product, or with a link to enablethe user to transition to the merchant site rather than remain withinthe social media site to confirm a payment.

In another aspect, the correlation can be determined to exist betweenthe product associated with the posting and the product database via alink between the social media entity and the product database operatedby the posting entity. For example, the posting entity can register withthe social media entity and provide a link or connection of its productdatabase to the social media entity through a protocol, API, or othermeans. The social media entity can then efficiently manage a paymentprocess or initiating a payment process where the user can view productsfrom a posting, purchase those products, all without leaving the socialmedia entity environment. In other words, the user does not have totransition to the posting entity site or app to view and purchaseproducts. This reduces friction and enables the user to purchase an item(without leaving the social media entity site or app) and then continuelooking at other postings by the social media entity.

There can therefore be an integration between product inventory of amerchant and the social media entity such that products in postings thatare in the product inventory that is integrated with the social mediaentity can be sold to users while remaining within the social mediaentity environment. The products can be tagged or identified by theposting entity and that information can be utilized to enable thepurchase process. The user's payment data can be stored at the socialmedia entity the first time and then used for later purchases, or otherAPI-based methods or alternative payment methods can be used for thepurchase process. In this scenario, users can also make purchases fromstories, profile data for the posting entity, and any other locationwithin the social media entity and not just postings per se. Users mightalso be transitioned to other products besides those formally within aposting, and be able to choose and purchase them all within the socialmedia entity environment as well. Merchants may set up product catalogsdirectly on the social media entity as well, in which case there is nocorrelation to an outside product catalog that is needed. Thecorrelation may also be between one social media environment to another.

Product Management Engine

This disclosure now turns to a product management engine, purchasemanager or an engine that manages product purchase across multipleplatforms.

FIG. 32 illustrates a general environment 3200 which the presentdisclosure addresses. Feature 3202 illustrates various systems formaking purchases. For example, Amazon.com can provide purchases throughthe Internet 3204 from merchants 3206 using a payment method as isshown. Similarly, as disclosed above, other entities such as searchengines or social media applications can provide buy buttons in whichpayments can be processed 3202 and communications via the Internet 3204with merchant 3202 can enable the delivery of such purchased products.Similarly, social media sites such as Facebook can also provide buybuttons in which payments are processed 3202 and communication throughthe Internet 3204 with merchant 3206. As is illustrated, however, inFIG. 2 , there is no coordination between these various types ofmethodologies in which purchases can be made by users over the Internet.Because of the disparate offerings of the ability to buy products acrossmultiple platforms on the Internet and mobile applications, people caneasily forget what they bought and where they bought it from. Forexample, a person may have bought an umbrella off of a one-clickoffering a week ago, it may not have arrived, and they may not rememberwhether they bought it off Twitter, Google.com, or Facebook. With onesystem like Amazon.com, it is easy to go to the user's account andmanage the purchase history. With the new buy button environment,accessing the purchase history becomes much more difficult. Accordingly,the present disclosure addresses this issue and seeks to provide anenhanced user account via a product purchase managing system or engine.

FIG. 33 illustrates this approach. The overall ecosystem 3300 involves apurchase management system 3302 or a product purchase history managementengine. An API 3304 is provided which enables communication from anumber of disparate entities with a goal of harmonizing and receivingvarious purchasing data, correlating that data and harmonizing thatdata, and presenting a unified purchase history and management useraccount such that is accessible through a number of disparate purchasingplatforms.

For example, the API 3304 can communicate information to and from amerchant aggregator site 3308 such as Amazon.com and the like. Thus,consider that all of the information found in a user's account andpurchase history can be communicated through the API 3304. Amazon sellsproducts for merchants 3310. Such merchants in a similar manner to whichthey communicate with Amazon.com 3308 their purchases, prices productsand so forth, can also communicate through API 3304 with the purchasemanagement system 3302.

In a similar manner, with the advent of the buy button and variousdifferent environments, when purchases are made through a search engine3302, the search engine can communicate via the API 3304 with thepurchase managing system 3302. Similarly, the merchants 3314 that sellproducts through a search engine 3312, can communicate informationthrough the API. In a similar way, purchases made on social media 3316through their respective merchants 3318 can also communicate via theInternet 3306 and the API 3304 with the purchase management system 3302.Delivery services 3320 also are integrated with various merchants 3310,3314, 3318 and can also communicate via the API 3304 with the purchasemanaging system 3302. Furthermore, advertisers 3322 can communicatethrough the API 3304 or through other means with the purchase managingsystem 3302 to receive valuable purchasing behavior information whichcan enable improvements to providing advertisements through any of theoutlet or for any of the merchants. Thus, any of the merchants 3310,3314, 3318 can have not only access to sell their products through thevarious means shown in FIG. 33 but may also have their own separatewebsites and the business intelligent data 3322 can be utilized andprovided to any of these avenues for making purchases and improving theadvertisements for users. The API can be structured such thatstandardized calls and communication protocols can be used to identifyand exchange between the engine or other agent handling the aggregationand management and merchants or users all of the various types of dataneeded to perform this process. This can include such data as productpurchased, delivery address, whether the product is a gift, messagesassociated with delivery, delivery scheduled time, current deliverystatus, predicated delivery time, warranty information, payment status,backorder status, return status and/or information, and so forth. Theseand any other data useful for managing purchases can be requested,transmitted, received or otherwise communicated between the API and anyof the components communicating through the API.

The API can also include such features as when and how to present aninteractive button or graphic for accessing the engine. For example, theuse of this management engine is in the context of users makingone-click or other purchases across disparate applications or websites.A payment request API is also disclosed herein. A merchant may, forexample, request when submitting a call to a payment request API, orother API or through its own processing, that a produce purchasemanagement access button be also presented in the interaction. In thismanner, the ability to access the user's account is presented where theuser is—on a social media site, making a purchase at any location, andso forth. The call to request the access button could include a requestfor an analysis or the results of an analysis about the user's accountwhich could indicate that there is a probability that the user mightdesire to make some kind of change or check their account. For example,a merchant may request that if the users had regular account accessand/or changes and the timing is such that the user might be accessingtheir account again soon, that an account access button be presentedwhile or after they make a buy button purchase. Then the user could seethe current purchase and review their other purchases while they are “inthe zone” of making purchases. The analysis could determine that theuser has in their account a similar product to what they are about topurchase or have just purchased and they might want to review theiroverall account to insure that they are not double buying. Thus, thesystem can provide an intelligent consideration of whether to include anaccess button to the purchase history and management engine for the userpurchases. This access button can be offered up by request from themerchant, by user profile considerations, or via a separate entity. Forexample, the user may place in their profile indicators that they don'twant to see the access button every time unless the purchase they areabout to make conflicts with or is a duplicate of a previous purchase.The user may desire to see the purchase history after every purchase orhave an option presented to them to access their account history. Theaccess button can be visually and/or audibly configured (i.e., brighter,flashing, making a certain sound) to give notice if there might besomething abnormal (a double purchase just happened, or a late deliveryis expected of an item) in the purchase history and that the user shouldcheck. In this scenario, given the limited display space for example inmobile purchasing, the system can more intelligently determine when topresent an access button (or other access mechanism such as audibly) tothe user such that its display is connected to a likely need for theuser to review or make changes in the purchase history.

Machine learning engines can also be applied to the user's actual usageand accessing of their account. Thus, the system could start by offeringup the button every time or every other time or under some otherstrategy and learn how and when the user accesses their account. Forexample, the system may learn that the user only accesses their accountthrough Amazon.com and thus the system stops presenting access buttonson social media or search engine sites. Or the system may learn thatusually within 2 weeks of any purchase the user accesses their accountto check the status. Thus, the machine learning algorithm learns andapplies new rules for presenting the access button within two weeksafter a purchase and for 3 days and if the user does not access theiraccount, the access button disappears. Of course, access can always beachieved through a tab or account button which is always available butthe “one-click” access to their purchase history and management systemcan be managed as disclosed herein. Alternately, the access to thepurchase history management system can be offered through other means aswell, such as through a link in a text or an email, or a voice activatedsystem, and so forth. The user profile, machine learning algorithm, orthrough other triggering events can cause, for example, the system tonotify the user that they should access their account to checksomething. If, for example, a package that is scheduled for delivery thenext day is going to be late, the system can provide a notificationthrough any outlets such as email, text, social media message orposting, or a notification to where the user “is” such as when they aremaking a Google.com search or on Facebook.

Furthermore, FIG. 33 shows communication in both directions between theAPI 3304 and the respective purchasing avenues. Thus, an example shallillustrate the point. Assume that a user has an Amazon account and hasmade three purchases from different merchants through Amazon.com 3308.That user could go into their account and handle various mattersassociated with their purchases such as tracking, delivery, cancellingthe purchase and so forth. However, that account is limited to onlypurchases made on Amazon. Using the principles disclosed herein, if auser were to purchase a widget via a search engine 3312 from a merchant3314, that information would be provided through API 3304 to thepurchase management system 3302 and then combined with the existingpurchases on the Amazon.com user account. In this account, a user couldgo into their user account on Amazon.com 3308 and be able to also viewthe widget purchase via the search engine 3312 and manage that purchaseas well. Additionally, that correlated data could also be presented toall of the outlets 3312 and 3316. Thus, via the search engine or asocial media site or some other site that perhaps does not even sellproducts, a correlated user account can be accessed in which the threeAmazon purchases and the one search engine purchase could all be viewedand managed completely or near completely, thus simplifying the overallprocess for the end users.

FIG. 34A illustrates an interface 3400 which includes a presentation ofa product 3406 (a hat) and a buy now button 3402 and a “managepurchases” button 3404. This interface 3400 can represent any interfaceon any of the approaches for buying products. Thus, the interface 3400could represent a buy now advertisement as a part of search results onGoogle.com, or a Pinterest post which enables a user to buy the presentproduct, and so forth. In any of these outlets, a manage purchasesbutton 3404 can be interacted with by the user to access their useraccount.

FIG. 34B illustrates an example user account 3410. Here, an illustrationof Google purchases 3412, Facebook purchases 3414 and Amazon purchases3416 are presented in a simplified manner. The user is given the optionto list these purchases 3418 in various ways. The user could, forexample, organize these purchases by virtue of media, cost, time,delivery date, returns, discounts, and so forth.

FIG. 35 illustrates a more detailed user account 3500. Here, varioustabs 3502 are presented for the user to be able to review orders, openorders, digital orders, or cancel orders. Various options 3504 enablethe user to manage their orders placed in the last six months (or anyperiod of time), by media, by cost, by merchant, by delivery date, andso on. Information 3506 can include such information as the purchasesmade by Google and the merchant is Joe's Sporting Goods. The user hasthe option to buy the product again 3510 or includes other options 3508such as tracking the package, returning or replacing the items, leavingpackage feedback, writing a product review, archiving the order, and soforth. As can be appreciated, the addition of purchase details fromother traditionally non-merchant sites provides an improvement over theprevious operating and management of user accounts to enable users tomore easily manage their purchases. The data for the listing of orderscould be stored on the browser or local user device as well and receivedand/or transmitted via a browser interface or API as is shown in FIG.17I. In other words, the browser API of FIG. 17I could be alsoimplemented not just to store a shopping cart of items across multiplesites but also to maintain a persistent listing of products purchasedfor later retrieval and processing or tracking of progress. Such aretrieval could also then occur just from a browser object if all of thepurchasing history data is stored in the browser.

FIG. 36A illustrates a method aspect of the product management engine.The method includes receiving, at a server or other location, firstconversion data from a first site, the first site including one of ageneralized search engine, a merchant site, and a social media site,wherein the first conversion data can include first data associated witha first purchase of a first product based on interaction with a firstbuy option presented to a user of the first site (3602), receiving, atthe server, second conversion data from a second site, the second siteincluding one of a generalized search engine, a merchant site and asocial media site, wherein the second conversion data can include seconddata associated with a second purchase of a second product based oninteraction with a second buy option presented to a user of the secondsite, wherein the first site differs from the second site (3604). Themethod includes correlating the first data and the second data to yieldcorrelated data (3606) and receiving a request from the user for thecorrelated data, wherein the request is received from one of the firstsite and the second site to yield a requesting site (3608). The methodcan include transmitting the correlated data to the requesting site(3610). As can be appreciated, this approach enables the “micro-moments”to not only encompass purchasing decisions but purchase historymanagement decisions. This disclosure places access to a broad userpurchasing account at the fingertips of users wherever they happen tobe—whether on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, etc. Thetransmission of the user account data does not have to only be to apurchasing site but could be to any location, any application. Thus, theuser might be using their outlook for emails and have an option toaccess their purchasing account via an API and accessible to an optionselectable via the Outlook application, even if no “buy now” buttons oroptions are available to Outlook. Even if outlets like Twitter were topull away from the buy button feature, users still spend time on suchsocial networking sites and the access to the purchase historymanagement engine could be granted there.

The social media site can include one of a site for exchanging images, asite for posting images and comments, a site for exchanging short textmessages, and a site for posting videos. The first site mentioned abovecan include a generalized search engine that determines an intent of auser by analyzing textual user input as being one of a purchase intentand a search intent. When the intent of the user is the purchase intent,the generalized search engine can respond to the textual user input witha response including a buy option associated with the first product.Transmitting the correlated data to the requesting site further canfurther include transmitting an interface to the requesting site thatenables the user to perform one or more of the following operations: (1)cancel the first purchase of the first product or the second purchase ofthe second product; (2) replace the first purchase of the first productor the second purchase of the second product; (3) track a shipment ofthe first product or the second product; (4) read reviews of the firstproduct or the second product; (5) purchase more of the first product orthe second product; (6) modify a purchasing account used to purchase thefirst product or the second product; (7) modify an address to which thefirst product or the second product will be delivered; (8) modify a dateupon which the first product or the second product should be deliveredto a recipient address; (9) write a product review for the first productor the second product; (10) organize a respective presentation of thefirst product and the second product by one of (1) which respective sitewas used to purchase the first product and the second product; (2) arespective cost of the first product and the second product; (3) arespective merchant that sold or delivered the first product and thesecond product; (4) a respective date of purchase of the first productand the second product; (5) a respective delivery data associated withthe first product and the second product; (6) a discount rate orpercentage of the first product and the second product; (7) cancelledorders; (8) digital orders; (9) open orders; and (10) a usercustomizable category. The user could also purchase a warranty for oneof the first product and the second product.

The correlated data can be made available to the first site and thesecond site via receiving an interaction from the user with an option toaccess a user account that maintains the correlated data and managespurchase across multiple different types of sites including at least thefirst site and the second site. The option to access the user accountcan include a button or drop-down menu presented on the first site andthe second site. The server can communicate with the first site and thesecond site via an application programing interface. The user account inone aspect can be correlated with a merchant aggregation site having amerchant aggregation site user account that manages purchases from themerchant aggregation site.

The method can also include receiving, at the server, third conversiondata from a merchant site, wherein the correlated data further includesthe third conversion data. The merchant site can be not a merchantaggregator site but an individual merchant site. In other words,Amazon.com aggregates many merchants for managing the sale of products,but individual merchants can also provide and receive data from theproduct management engine.

Cryptocurrency

It is noted that any of the APIs or financial transactions disclosedherein could be implemented through blockchain technology. Thus, anycommunication between a buyer and a seller or products could beimplemented through a contract on a blockchain and payment could besubmitted through user addresses according to blockchain technology. Forexample, a smart contract programmed and implemented on a blockchaincould receive and implement items in the transactions.

Another aspect of this disclosure is how to implement a “one-click” orbuy button purchasing opportunity on a search engine result, aninterface to a merchant site where a purchase can be made, or a buybutton posting on a social network. The concept could also work simplyfrom any application or website where a purchase of an item or serviceis possible. In these contexts, to make the purchasing process moreefficient, the payment/delivery information is stored at the searchentity, social networking entity, a separate agent, a browser, or in anyother location so that the data can be applied to a purchasingtransaction in such a way that the user does not need to manually fillout fields (such as address, credit card number, etc.) to complete apurchase. Filling out these fields prevent more purchasing conversions.The approach disclosed herein can be done through APIs or otherprotocols to request data, retrieve the data, and fill in the paymentforms and give the user a more “one-click” type of experience. This isimplemented for example through the W3C Payment Request API or AndroidPay API, the details of which are described in the priority applicationsto the present application. The browser or the payment API can alsocommunicate with a payment app on the user's device to handle thepayment process as well according to the payment app's functionality.

However, with a blockchain approach used for altcoin payments, there isno entity that “holds” the payment account like a credit card. There arethree elements to the blockchain and using cryptocurrency to makepurchases. There is an address, a private key and wallet software. Theaddress is where others can send bit coin to the person or entity. Theprivate key is the cryptographic secret by which a person can sendBitcoin (or any altcoin) to others. Whenever a particular altcoin like“Bitcoin” is referenced, it could apply to any type of cryptocurrency.The wallet can also store a record of the amount of altcoin you controlon the blockchain ledger. The ledger is distributed as well across thenodes in the network.

Wallet software is the software that a person runs on their own computerto manage their Bitcoin. Wallet projects are provided by companies suchas ChromaWallet, CoinSpark and CounterWallet. Other companies includeCoinprism, Melotic and OneWallet. Typically, to send someone or anentity an altcoin, the sender scans the wallet address QR code orotherwise obtains the address characters for the recipient via email orother means. The sender uses the wallet application to enter additionalinformation about the transaction such as the amount, fee, deliverycosts, etc. When the sender confirms the transaction using their privatekey, a message is broadcast from the owner of the sending address to thenetwork that x number of coins from that address now belong to the newaddress. It is authorized by the sender's private key. After a fewminutes, the transaction will be inscribed in the blockchain perblockchain miners and a confirmation notice can be sent. An altcoinaddress as well as a public and private key is generated automaticallywhen a user set up their wallet. The altcoin address is typically anidentifier of 26-34 alphanumeric characters, beginning with 1 or 3, therepresents a possible destination for an altcoin payment. Sometimes theaddress is represented as a QR code. It can operate like an emailaddress. People with a user's public-key wallet address can send theperson altcoins.

The present disclosure incorporates this functionality and simplifies itin the context of making purchases on the web or a mobile application.What will occur when using Bitcoin, Litecoin (or any cryptocurrency) is,in one example, a new API that coordinates the altcoin payment throughan individual's wallet stored on their device and the purchasinginterface (i.e., a buy button search result, a purchase option on amerchant site or a buy now item posted on a social media site).Components such as storage, messaging, wallet interactions, mobilepayments, identity confirmation, security, and reputation can be managedusing tokens and proper communication protocols of the necessaryinformation to integrate altcoin payments into the Payment Request APIwidely adopted.

It is assumed that a merchant will accept cryptocurrency in thisscenario. Thus, when the circumstances disclosed herein are applicable,and a buy button is presented to a user, the user will be enabled tomake the purchase using their private key to access their altcoin, andthe address of the merchant to be able to receive the payment of thealtcoin. The wallet software can keep a copy of the blockchain—therecord of all the transactions that have occurred in the particularcurrency—as part of the decentralized scheme by which coin transactionsare verified. The wallet can be browser-based, application based, or canbe a separate application or smartphone wallet from Blockchain.info,Mycelium, Coinbased, Electrum or other provider. In other words, oneaspect of this disclosure is to incorporate the wallet into a browsersuch that the user's credit/debit/other payment account is stored, theiraddress, as well as their altcoin wallet. Alternately, a protocol cancommunicate data between a browser (which uses the API between thebrowser and the merchant) and the altcoin wallet. For example, thewallet may share the address and the private key to perform a paymentbut then receive the details to add the payment to the blockchain.

As noted above, for a user to send altcoins to a merchant to make apurchase of an item, the user needs the address of the merchant and theprivate-key part of the buyer's wallet where the software will checkthat they have control over the altcoins to be paid to the merchant. Insome cases people scan a QR code for the wallet address. Usually, thesender (buyer) scans the QR code of the recipient's address and uses thewallet application to enter additional information about thetransaction, such as amount, transaction fee (affirming an amountprespecified by the wallet software), or any other parameters. When thesender submits the transaction, a message is broadcast from the owner ofthe sending address to the network that x number of coins from thataddress now belong to the new address. The operating is authorized bythe sender's private key. The sender may enter in their private key or apassword or fingerprint, voiceprint, or other authorization may be usedto retrieve the sender's private key. The transaction is received almostimmediately at the receiver's wallet application, with an “unconfirmed”status and after about 10 minutes, the transaction is confirmed and canbe inscribed in the blockchain per blockchain miners.

Applying the basic altcoin operation to the current scenario, severalmodifications and novel features must be implemented. The goal is toenable in a simple and easy fashion the ability of a user to choose analtcoin payment as though it was a Visa payment or a Mastercard paymentmanaged through the payment request API, although the altcoin isprocessed in a completely separate way. Currently, for example, in auser's Amazon.com account, several credit cards can be listed and onecan be chosen for a payment. This approach will enable an altcoinpayment for a purchase as well.

Enabling a simple “one-click” ability to choose an altcoin paymentprocess and then handle the payment has some issues. If a user is on amobile device and wants to make a purchase, they will not be able toscan a QR code of the merchant address. Plus, not all buyers will havebitcoin type wallets. Thus, through an API a merchant advertising orposting an interface that a user can ultimately interact with to make apurchase can receive data that the person viewing the advertisement orinterface has a cybercurrency wallet set up and has a profile thatindicates that they might make the purchase through bitcoin or othercurrency. An API can exchange the necessary requirements and data suchthat in the context of an advertisement or other interface in which theuser is in a state in which a purchase intent is indicated or can takeplace, the same kind of authentication used by the buyer's altcoinwallet can be integrated into the interface such that the user will justneed to perform the same kind of function to access their private key.This might be through biometrics, a password, and so forth. Theintegration can include retrieving an amount of money, address ofdelivery, date, merchant, and all of such data with the application andretrieval or receipt of the buyer's private key and use of theircryptocurrency wallet so that the payment can be made in cryptocurrencybut the delivery, management of the life cycle of the product purchaseand delivery and potential return, etc. is handled in the normal fashionby the merchant.

In this regard, assuming that the data indicates that a wallet exists ora user preference notifies a merchant that altcoins will/can be used tobuy products, the advertisement or the graphical presentation willinclude as part of its data the merchant address to which altcoins canbe addressed. In one scenario, the “buy button” could include options touse a stored credit/debit card or any other traditional payment accountor the user could choose a cryptocurrency account. If a traditionalpayment account is chosen, then the processes disclosed herein toutilize the payment account stored at the search entity, social mediasite, browser, other payment agent or other location to either processthe purchase or transmit payment data to the merchant site through theAPI for providing the necessary data for the merchant to process thepayment (i.e., so the user does not have to fill in the forms). Thevarious requests and responses exchanged through the API enables thepayment information/delivery information and/or other information to becommunicated to the merchant site such that the purchasing process issimply and does not require the user to fill out fields in a paymentform.

The process disclosed herein adds the cryptocurrency paymentopportunity. If an altcoin payment is chosen, then the interfaceinteracts through an API or other protocol with the user's wallet toretrieve the user's private key or enable the user to enter the privatekey so that the cryptocurrency transaction can occur and the merchantcan be paid. For example, a one-time use token could be generated whichprovides the address and/or private key to the merchant site such thatit can perform the payment function. Or, the API can receive from themerchant site the amount, merchant address, any other data such as tax,fees, etc., and the API can receive that data and communicate with thewallet or browser to process the payment from the user's altcoin wallet.The altcoin wallet could be integrated into the browser such that theprocessing is performed by Chrome, Mozilla, Internet Explorer, etc. Ifthe API is between the merchant and the browser, a separate API orprotocol could communicate the data between the browser and a user'saltcoin wallet on their device. Again, the actual transfer of altcoin tothe merchant can occur in any component that is workable. It could bethrough the user's altcoin wallet, an instance of the altcoin walletincorporated into a browser, or through the merchant making thetransfer.

Typically, the amount of the purchase in altcoin will have to becalculated because it originally will likely be set in dollars but willneed to be converted into the corresponding value of the respectivecryptocurrency that the buyer will use. The process in this regard couldinclude accessing a data feed which provides a current value of thecryptocurrency in terms of dollars (or any other currency that themerchant is using). This access could be done in real time or near realtime such that when the buyer makes the purchase, the proper value ofthe cryptocurrency is applied to the purchase. That value and data feedcould be presented to the user at the time of purchase and could be partof the buying interface.

The buy button and follow on screens that are part of the purchasingprocess can include a blending of the interface with access to thecryptocurrency wallet for the buyer. Thus, the interface could include aportion that is connected to or triggers payment through a traditionalpayment account, and another portion that is associated with the buyer'swallet for cryptocurrency. The user could be presented with a buy optionto pay with Visa, Mastercard or Bitcoin. If the user chooses thecryptocurrency, then the system enables the interaction with the walletsuch that through accessing automatically or manually, the user'sprivate key is provided or accessed. Passwords, fingerprintauthorization, or manual entry of the private key can occur through thepurchasing interface for the item, whether is it part of a merchantsite, an advertisement, a Google Shopping graphic, a Purchases on Googleinterface (or any search entity interface), any browser image orapplication interface, or the use of a Payment Request API developed byW3C.org. The merchant can provide their address and once the buyerprovides their private key, the transmission of the cryptocurrency fromthe buyer to the seller for the appropriate amount for the product canbe achieved. All of the processes then can follow for the product asnormal, such as tracking, product delivery, communication of deliveryinformation, cancellation, modification, etc. can occur.

In one example, to maintain the user's private key on their device intheir wallet, the process could include receiving a confirmation thatthe user wants to provide the payment through bitcoin. Through an API,the merchant application can provide cost information, a transaction ID,merchant ID, merchant address, delivery charges, taxes, and/or discountdata, etc. The API can communicate the data to the user's walletdirectly or through a browser or a combination of both. The wallet canconfirm and populate its fields necessary for a transaction such as themerchant address, the amount, notes, etc. The typical wallet can bemodified to include transaction ID, merchant ID, user preferences (2 dayshipping) etc. Much of this information, however, can also be providedthrough the API from an agent, the browser, a search engine, etc. Oncethe user's wallet is populated with the data for performing atransaction, the interface at the merchant site or app that the user isinteracting with can then request a password or biometric confirmationto complete the transaction. Alternately, although less secure, the usercould opt for just an automatic processing when the user clicks “pay” ora similarly styled button. With this interaction with the buyinginterface, through the API, a confirmation command instructs the walletto carry out the transaction and transfer the altcoin(s) to the merchantor recipient.

Currently, the payment processing systems for credit cards, debit cardsand so forth are set up for use by merchants. Thus, in the standardpayment approach through the API, the payment account information ispassed from the browser or other agent to the merchant site through theAPI for payment processing. The payment account data can be transmittedto the merchant in a secure, one-time use fashion and configured suchthat the payment can be processed but the merchant cannot store theuser's payment account data. However, if the user chooses an altcoinpayment approach, it is unlikely they will want to send their privatekey to the merchant. Processing the altcoin payment differs from astandard Visa/Mastercard type of transaction. Accordingly, in oneaspect, the API will receive from the merchant their address, amount,and/or any other data needed to complete an altcoin payment. The API canthen provide that data to the user's altcoin wallet, whether the walletis separate from a browser or other agent or integrated into the browseror other agent. The altcoin wallet then can make a payment to themerchant address of the amount of altcoin to pay for theproduct/service. A transaction ID can be associated with the productpurchased. Notifications can then proceed to be communicated through theAPI back to the merchant. The user through the interface can be notifiedof the progress and of what is happening at the back end (“Amazon issending data to your Bitcoin wallet for processing a payment” . . .“Payment confirmed of 1.2 Bitcoin for the Television”). If the user hasmultiple different altcoin wallets, they could be processed in a similarfashion in parallel. I.e., the user may be able to choose whether to paywith Bitcoin or Litecoin (or any other altcoins that they own).Depending on which is chosen, the particular processing to access thatrespective altcoin wallet is carried out for payment.

The above approach enables an integration of the use of cryptocurrency,even with its completely separate blockchain based payment process, withother standard forms of payment and payment processing through an APIsuch as the Payment Request API which simplifies the purchasing processby removing the need of a user to fill in payment form fields with name,address, payment account data, etc.

An example method of this approach can include receiving an indicationthat a purchaser has an altcoin account, presenting an option to make apayment using an altcoin account, and receiving a confirmation to usealtcoin. The method includes communicating from a merchant site throughan API with a browser or agent to provide information about a purchaseof an item. The altcoin wallet can be configured as a separateapplication or integrated into a browser or other agent process orcomponent. The altcoin wallet receives the data about the purchase andprocesses the payment to the merchant. The wallet can populate its datafields with the information received through the API from the merchant.The altcoin wallet can include the ability to communicate the paymentdetails through a protocol to the browser or through an API back to themerchant. The merchant site interface can communicate updates to thepurchaser of the success/failure of using their altcoin account to makethe purchase. A data feed can be accessed to provide current pricing interms of dollars. If the item is $20 to buy, then at the time of thepurchase, the user can see that it would cost say 0.02 Bitcoin to makethe purchase and they have 5 Bitcoin currently. The embodiments caninclude the processing as disclosed herein from the viewpoint of thealtcoin wallet, the browser, an agent, a smart contract, either side ofthe API or APIs, and/or the merchant site. Therefore, claims can bedirected to any component in this process and in any configuration (i.e,the altcoin wallet separate, or integrated into the browser, etc.). Theultimate goal is to make payment through altcoin as easy as a“one-click” purchase is for a Visa type payment.

The processing for such payments could also be achieved through the useof a smart contract. The smart contract is a program that can beimplemented on the blockchain and that performs certain actions in atrustless manner. In other words, it performs its operations in a knownand transparent way using the distributed approach of the blockchaintechnology. Smart contracts are autonomous, self-sufficient anddecentralized. They automatically run and perform the programmedfunctions. There is no need to “trust” a human to perform one part ofthe contract. In one example, a smart contract can be used for all orpart of the processing disclosed herein. For example, assume that theuser interface of a merchant site provides an option for a user to buyan item using their altcoin. The user confirms the purchase with a “pay”button. The amount say is 1 Bitcoin. The instruction or confirmation ofthat commitment by the purchaser can be transmitted with 1 Bitcoin to asmart contract, operating on a blockchain technology. The seller of theitem can perhaps confirm that they have the product and can delivertomorrow. The smart contract can transfer the 1 Bitcoin to the merchantand send a notice to the buyer that the item is on the way. Or, thesmart contract could be programmed to deliver the 1 bitcoin to themerchant when a delivery confirmation occurs. At some stage, thecommunication and tracking of the packet can transition to a normaltracking and notification process such as is operated by Amazon.com formanaging purchases made, return policies, etc. If a return is to bemade, the merchant can transfer 1 Bitcoin to the smart contract whichcan then make a payment according to its protocol to the purchaser.Thus, in this respect, the disclosure covers all communications,requests, responses, and data communicated between a merchant site,through an API, to a browser, altcoin wallet, smart contract and/orother agent to achieve a one-click purchasing option of using altcoinsfor payment in the same fashion as a regular payment account. Because ofthe different way that altcoins are used, current API's like the PaymentRequest API must be modified to accommodate the alternate paymentstructure of altcoins. By extending the API and including the componentsof the altcoin wallet and/or smart contract to carry out functions inthe process, an improvement to the way purchases are made can beimplemented to add the ability to pay through altcoins.

Yet another aspect of this approach could be payments to the user'saltcoins wallet. For example, with the altcoins structure in place whichcan include the buyer's address and the merchant address, altcoinspayments could flow both ways. Thus, small incentives could flow tousers. Currently, if an advertisement is clicked on as part of a searchengine result, the search engine gets paid. Integrating the user'swallet into the process could enable the advertiser to pay the buyerthat clicks on their advertisement some altcoin. Graphics could show forexample how much altcoins a user generates by clicking on theadvertisement and browsing content on the merchant's site. When the userarrived at the state in the navigation where a purchase is made, theuser could apply the altcoins they made via browsing to the purchase orkeep them. All balances and adjustments at the conclusion of thepurchase could be implemented in any fashion, including throughsubmission to a smart contract. Special rates, discounts, incentives,etc. could be provided through credits to the user's altcoins walletwhich are completed or finalized at the conclusion of a sale. Suchcredits could also automatically be made throughout the process. Thus,when a user clicks on an advertisement, altcoins could be transferred totheir altcoin wallet automatically through the integration of theiraddress with the browser/agent, or a promise to transfer altcoins of acertain amount could exist or be presented such that the final actualtransfer occurs if the user clicks through and buys a product on thesite. The transfer could even occur if the user does not buy withaltcoins but with dollars or some other currency. This aspect covers allthe variations on how a merchant would provide altcoins back to buyersas they interact with their site or through other means such as texting,emailing, social media interactions, and so forth. If a user likes amerchant or non-merchant site, that site can send altcoins to the user'swallet. This will enhance the user's experience and encourage them toengage more with the merchant or other site.

Another aspect could be using the blockchain to store and maintainknowledge about browser API transactions. A blockchain is a distributeddatabase that maintains a continuously growing list of ordered recordscalled blocks. Each block contains a timestamp and a link to a previousblock. By design, blockchains are inherently resistant to modificationof the data—once recorded, the data in a block cannot be alteredretroactively. Through the use of a peer-to-peer network and adistributed timestamping server, a blockchain database is managedautonomously. Blockchains are “an open, distributed ledger that canrecord transactions between two parties efficiently and in a verifiableand permanent way. The ledger itself can also be programmed to triggertransactions automatically.”

Blockchains are secure by design and an example of a distributedcomputing system with high byzantine fault tolerance. Decentralizedconsensus can therefore be achieved with a blockchain. This makesblockchains suitable for the recording of events such as purchasingtransactions as disclosed herein.

Consensus protocols applied with blockchain networks are some of themost important and revolutionary aspects of blockchain technology. Theseprotocols create an irrefutable system of agreement between variousdevices across a distributed network, whilst preventing exploitation ofthe system. Here we will explore how these systems work and how variousprotocols differ from one another. Blockchain consensus protocols arewhat keep all the nodes on a network synchronized with each other, whileproviding an answer to the question of how do the nodes all make surethat they agree on what the truth is. Anyone can submit information tobe stored onto a blockchain and therefore it is important that there isreview and confirmation, in the form of a consensus about whether to addthat information. As a term, ‘consensus’ means that the nodes on thenetwork agree on the same state of a blockchain, in a sense making it aself-auditing ecosystem. This is an important aspect of the technology,carrying out two key functions. First, consensus protocols allow ablockchain to be updated, while ensuring that every block in the chainis true as well as keeping participants incentivized. Secondly, itprevents any single entity from controlling or derailing the wholeblockchain system. The aim of consensus rules is to guarantee a singlechain is used and followed.

Consensus rules are a specific set of rules that nodes on the networkwill ensure a block follows when validating that block and thetransactions within it. The key requirement to achieve a consensus is aunanimous acceptance between nodes on the network for a single datavalue, even in the event of some of the nodes failing or beingunreliable in any way.

Every cryptocurrency must have a way of securing its blockchain againstattacks. For example, an attacker may attempt to spend some money andthen reverse the transaction by broadcasting their own version of thatblockchain, not including the transaction. This is known as a doublespend. As blockchain technology does not rely on a central authority forsecurity, users have no prior knowledge which version of the record isvalid.

The first blockchain was conceptualized by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008 andimplemented the following year as a core component of the digitalcurrency bitcoin, where it serves as the public ledger for alltransactions. The invention of the blockchain for bitcoin made it thefirst digital currency to solve the double spending problem, without theuse of a trusted authority or central server. The bitcoin design hasbeen the inspiration for other applications.

For example, one could develop a blockchain record of all purchases madethrough a particular browser, for a particular user. The blockchaincould also be narrowed down to tracking transactions using one paymentaccount available through the browser API. So if a user has a VISAaccount available and Apple Pay, all payments using the visa accountcould be maintained on the blockchain. Or it could be purchases madethrough the API that are stored. In this regard, the API could bemodified so that the data associated with the transaction, which coulduse one or more of the pieces of information associated with thetransaction (name, address, payment account, product, price, discountsprovided, time of order, time of delivery, taxes paid, etc., whether itwas a gift, returned items, follow on history of the purchase, contextof purchase such as advertisement on Facebook, or transition from aGoogle ad, etc.) The structure of such a blockchain could be accessibleto other services. The management system that utilizes information aboutpurchases to help a user can draw upon information in the blockchain forthat transaction or for that browser. Other transactions such asAmazon.com purchases could also be input to the blockchain for that useror that account.

The claim could cover receiving information about a purchase made viathe Internet and creating a blockchain record utilizing the information.As later purchases are made using the account, API, browser, PWA, App.,person, etc. can be added to that blockchain to record and makeavailable the information.

The problem to be solved is as a person buys products across the webusing the browser API, how does one access the ease of managing thosepurchases, tracking the purchases, cancelling a purchase, changingparameters (shipping model), and so forth. There is no mechanism for aperson to go to one place where they can see all of their variouspurchases. If each purchase for a user is added to a blockchain, privateor public, and there is an API or mechanism for reporting purchasesacross the internet to a blockchain that is continually built based oneach purchase then this disclosure also provides the ability to thenaccess that data for an individual. Access to the blockchain for thatindividual could be granted as part of the authorization for a purchase(fingerprint for Apple Pay or CVC code for a VISA purchase), anagreement could include that when the user authorizes the payment thatincludes an authorization to add to or access their blockchain ofpurchases.

If the user is basically accessing their purchase history to makechanges or track a purchase, the user could authorize access to theirdata through a user interface and when that access is granted,information on the block chain can be converted into a user interfacesimilar to the listing of products purchased on Amazon.com but acrossmerchants and/or apps. In one aspect, too, a user could sell access totheir blockchain. Users may make money by offering people access totheir blockchain. Some information in that case could be anatomized suchas their name and address. The data could be provided on an anonymousbasis such that the data is provided for product, time, context, and zipcode but not name, address, account number, etc.

In one aspect, a merchant site will receive the payment informationthrough the API as a tokenized payment or as a payment account number,name, expiration date, etc. The process with the blockchain can use thatinformation in whatever form it is to identify which blockchain toaccess to append the data of the current transaction. It could also beaccessed through some other mechanism like the user's name or another IDnumber associated with the browser.

Further, the blockchain may be identified by the user identity and thusmultiple accounts could be associated with the user and stored on thesame blockchain. Other data such as the user's body model which storestheir shirt, pants, shoe sizes and other body related data can also bestored in the blockchain.

The blockchain could be built from browser API purchases or any otherpurchase including brick and mortar purchases. A user could sign up fora service that would cause each purchase using their various accountsthat they use to be reported to a blockchain service such that the usercan access all of those purchases from a single user interface, similarto how users can access and manage the history of purchases. Ablockchain service can be established with an API that companiesinteract with whenever the user makes a purchase, whether it is on line,at Amazon.com, through the browser API, etc. A parameter could be setassociated with the payment account or user account such that a certainset of details associated with the purchase are communicated to theblockchain service API. Thus, if a person purchases a book on Amazon.comusing their stored VISA account, the details of that purchased can becommunicated through an API to a blockchain service provider who createsa block for that purchase. Next, the person buys a hammer at Home Depotusing the VISA card. Because the parameter is set, the details of thepurchase including one or more of the purchase of the hammer, the time,the location, etc. can be communicated to the service via the API andthat purchase can be added to the blockchain. Next, the question is howdoes the user gain access to the data of all those purchases? The usermay want to go back and return the book. Where people are makingpurchases across different merchants and different payment approaches(some merchants will use a shopping cart, others will use the browserAPI, Amazon.com, in person, etc.) users will desire to have all of theirpurchases available for management at one location. The blockchainservice can offer a management user interface which presents to the userthe purchasing history and status. The blockchain service can alsoreceive tracking information from distribution entities (FedEX, UPS,etc.) through an API that can associate a tracking status with theparticular product and include updated data on the block chain. Thus, inthis respect, the blockchain can be continually updated. The blockchainservice can present the information via the user interface. The accessto the user interface can be via a website, an app, a browser APIinterface, a selectable object or a selectable menu via social media, ina digital wallet interface, or an Apple Pay interface or Android payinterface, etc. In other words, at any virtual location where the user“is”, a selectable object can be presented which enables the user accessto the purchase management interface. The selectable object can also bepresented at multiple locations available to the user including optionswithin the browser. For example, in Amazon Assistant or another pluginto a browser, the service can provide an updated listing of previouspurchases and their status. The underlying data for this status updatecan be based on the blockchain.

Further, the information that can be stored in the browser, such aspayment account, address, etc., can be stored on the blockchain andaccessed from the browser. A separate API could also be called to aservice which stores that information on the blockchain and returns thepayment account data, a token, address information, name, etc. Thus, theblockchain could hold the information rather than the browser, and oncethe browser receives an API request for payment information and/or otherinformation associated with a purchase, the browser can access from theblockchain the necessary information. This can occur in several steps aswell. Further, the merchant site could also access the information fromthe blockchain as well through an API directly to the blockchain ratherthan through the browser functionality.

Using this approach, an individual could store in one blockchain theirpayment information, address, etc. and any site that needed that paymentinformation could securely access it through the appropriate API. Adigital wallet on a device could be the mechanism to access theblockchain with the information. The browser (any time “browser” is usedit also can cover a user interface or an agent for the merchant), onceit receives an API request, could identify that rather than having avisa account stored in the browser, that the blockchain digital wallet(or access agent) is to be used to obtain the information. The browsercommunicates with the access agent to retrieve the information from theblockchain and return it to the browser. The browser communicates theinformation through the browser API to the merchant site for paymentprocessing.

Another aspect relates to social media entities or applications that canenable a cryptographic payment between members of the social mediaentity. This aspect is illustrated in FIG. 36B. The social media entityor platform can apply to a website like www.facebook.com or to apps suchas Whatsapp or messenger applications. Any social media entity canimplement the following method. A method includes receiving aregistration of a first entity and a second entity at a social mediaplatform, the social media platform providing an ability of entities tomessage each other or communicate with each other (3620), transmitting,from the social media platform and as part of a dialog between the firstentity and the second entity, a prompt from the first entity to thesecond entity (3624), receiving, in connection with the prompt, userinput from the second entity (3626) and initiating, within the socialmedia platform and based on the user input, a cryptocurrency paymentfrom the second entity to the first entity (3628).

The social media platform can include a messaging application on a userdevice. The method can further include transmitting, from the messagingapplication, to a software module on the user device, and via a softwaremodule application programming interface that defines a protocol forcommunicating data between the social media platform and the softwaremodule, a payment request for the software module to authorizetransmission of authorized payment data of the second entity and, inresponse to the payment request, receiving, from the software module andvia the software module application programming interface, theauthorized payment data. The payment process can be achieved through theuse of one or more of the APIs disclosed herein, such as the paymentrequest API and the payment handler API.

The software module authorizes the authorized payment data by (1)retrieving, based on the payment request and via the software moduleapplication programming interface, the authorized payment data for thepayment from one of the user device operating the software module or anetwork-based entity separate from the user device and (2)communicating, to the messenger application, from the software moduleand via the software module application programming interface, theauthorized payment data.

The authorized payment data can either confirm that the network-basedentity processed the payment or the authorized payment data can be usedby the messenger application to process the payment. The cryptocurrencypayment can be associated with a purchase of a product by the secondentity from the first entity. In another aspect, the cryptocurrencypayment can be performed as part of a transfer of value from the secondentity to the first entity. The first entity can be one of a user and amerchant and the second entity can confirm the authorized payment datavia one of a graphical user interface or a biometric interaction withthe user device.

The social media platform can include an on-line site. In this case, themethod further includes transmitting, from the on-line site, to abrowser on the user device, and via a browser application programminginterface that defines a protocol for communicating data between theon-line site and the browser, a payment request for the browser toauthorize transmission of authorized payment data of the second entityand, in response to the payment request, receiving, from the browser andvia the browser application programming interface, the authorizedpayment data. The browser authorizes the authorized payment data by: (1)retrieving, based on the payment request and via the browser applicationprogramming interface, the authorized payment data for the payment fromone of the user device operating the browser or a network-based entityseparate from the user device and (2) communicating, to the on-linesite, from the browser and via the browser application programminginterface, the authorized payment data.

Another aspect of the social media context relates to a method from thestandpoint of a user, merchant or other entity participating in thesocial media platform. This is shown in FIG. 36C. In this regard, amethod includes registering a first entity at a social media platform,the social media platform providing an ability of entities to messageeach other or communicate with each other (3640), transmitting, to thesocial media platform and as part of a dialog between the first entityand a second entity, a prompt from the second entity to the first entity(3642) and receiving, from the social media platform, a cryptocurrencypayment from the second entity to the first entity based on user inputfrom the second entity in response to the prompt, wherein thecryptocurrency payment is initiated within the social media platform(3644).

The social media platform can include at least in part a messagingapplication on a user device. The cryptocurrency payment can beinitiated at least in part according to operations includingtransmitting, from the messaging application, to a software module onthe user device, and via a software module application programminginterface that defines a protocol for communicating data between thesocial media platform and the software module, a payment request for thesoftware module to authorize transmission of authorized payment data ofthe second entity and, in response to the payment request, receiving,from the software module and via the software module applicationprogramming interface, the authorized payment data. The software moduleauthorizes the authorized payment data by: (1) retrieving, based on thepayment request and via the software module application programminginterface, the authorized payment data for the payment from one of theuser device operating the software module or a network-based entityseparate from the user device and (2) communicating, to the messengerapplication, from the software module and via the software moduleapplication programming interface, the authorized payment data.

The authorized payment data either confirms that the network-basedentity processed the payment or the authorized payment data can be usedby the messenger application to process the payment. In one aspect, thecryptocurrency payment is associated with a purchase of a product by thesecond entity from the first entity. The cryptocurrency payment can alsobe performed as part of a transfer of value from the second entity tothe first entity.

When the social media platform is an on-line site, the method furthercan include transmitting, from the on-line site, to a browser on theuser device, and via a browser application programming interface thatdefines a protocol for communicating data between the on-line site andthe browser, a payment request for the browser to authorize transmissionof authorized payment data of the second entity and, in response to thepayment request, receiving, from the browser and via the browserapplication programming interface, the authorized payment data. Thebrowser authorizes the authorized payment data by: (1) retrieving, basedon the payment request and via the browser application programminginterface, the authorized payment data for the payment from one of theuser device operating the browser or a network-based entity separatefrom the user device and (2) communicating, to the on-line site, fromthe browser and via the browser application programming interface, theauthorized payment data.

In yet another example, a method can include receiving, from anapplication, at a software module on a device and via an applicationprogramming interface that defines a protocol for communicating databetween the application and the software module, a request associatedwith a potential purchase, wherein the request includes anidentification of a cryptocurrency payment method accepted by theapplication, transmitting, to the application, from the software moduleand via the application programming interface, data indicating that auser of the application can pay for the potential purchase via thecryptocurrency payment method accepted by the application and receiving,via the application programming interface, authorized payment data forthe potential purchase to be made using the cryptocurrency paymentmethod. The method can include populating a cryptocurrency wallet withthe authorized payment data to enable the cryptocurrency wallet to makea payment and/or initiating, via the application programming interface,the cryptocurrency wallet. The software module and applicationprogramming interface can be full client components configured on aclient device and not on a server.

The authorized payment data can be cryptocurrency payment informationthat includes at least one of a site address for receiving the payment,a private key of a buyer, a public key of a recipient, an email address,recipient identification information, a payment amount, and a usercomment.

The cryptocurrency wallet can include at least one of a wallet storedlocally on a device that is running the software module and a web-basedwallet. When the cryptocurrency wallet is the web-based wallet, themethod further can include transmitting the authorized payment data tothe web-based wallet via an application programming interface forprocessing the payment. This can be the same API or a separate API.

The request can identify a supported payment method used by theapplication in addition to the cryptocurrency payment method. In oneaspect, the authorized payment data includes a private key that is usedto sign a transaction with the cryptocurrency wallet. The method ofauthorizing payment data via the software module can further includetransmitting, via the application programming interface, data to theapplication for use by an application cryptocurrency wallet to receive apayment. The authorized payment data can be stored at the device,accessed by the software module from a separate entity, received fromthe application via the application programming interface, received froma third party, or delivered to the application from the third party asinstructed by the software module.

In one aspect, when the cryptocurrency payment method is selected by theuser for a purchase, the method further can include generating a blendeduser interface via the application programming interface which blends apayment interaction interface and a cryptocurrency wallet interface foruse by the user to confirm a payment.

Another aspect of this disclosure relates to application use and amethod in this regard includes transmitting, from an application, to asoftware module and via an application programming interface thatdefines a protocol for communicating data between the application andthe software module, a request associated with a potential purchase,wherein the request includes an identification of a cryptocurrencypayment method accepted by the application, receiving, at theapplication, from the software module and via the applicationprogramming interface, data indicating that a user of the softwaremodule or application can pay for the potential purchase via thecryptocurrency payment method accepted by the application and receiving,based on a confirmation from the user to process the potential purchaseusing the cryptocurrency payment method via the application programminginterface, a payment using the cryptocurrency payment method.

Another example method includes transmitting, from an application, to asoftware module and via an application programming interface thatdefines a protocol for communicating data between the application andthe software module, a request associated with a potential purchase,wherein the request includes an identification of a payment methodaccepted by the application, wherein the payment method uses acryptocurrency and receiving, at the application, the payment accordingto the payment method, wherein the payment method uses thecryptocurrency according to a cryptocurrency payment process initiatedbased on the request transmitted via the application programminginterface.

Another aspect is from the standpoint of a wallet. A method in thisregard includes receiving, at a cryptocurrency wallet, authorizedpayment information associated with a purchase, wherein the authorizedpayment information is generated based on a software module receiving,from an application, at the software module and via an applicationprogramming interface that defines a protocol for communicating databetween the application and the browser, a request associated with apotential purchase, wherein the request includes an identification of acryptocurrency payment method accepted by the application, processingthe payment using a cryptocurrency from the cryptocurrency wallet andbased on the authorized payment information and transmitting, to thesoftware module, confirmation data associated with the processing of thepayment using the cryptocurrency.

Yet another aspect is from the standpoint of a payment service. A methodof operating a payment service includes receiving, at the paymentservice, authorized payment information associated with a purchase,wherein the authorized payment information is generated based on asoftware module receiving, from an application, and via an applicationprogramming interface that defines a protocol for communicating databetween the application and the software module, a request associatedwith a potential purchase, wherein the request includes anidentification of a payment process that utilizes at least in part acryptocurrency, processing a payment using the cryptocurrency and basedon the authorized payment information and transmitting, to the softwaremodule, confirmation data associated with the processing of the paymentusing the cryptocurrency.

Another aspect applies to an example method including receiving, from anapplication, based on a user interacting with the application, at asoftware module and via a first application programming interface thatdefines a first protocol for communicating data between the softwaremodule and the application, a request associated with a purchase,receiving, from the user and via the first application programminginterface, a choice of a payment method supported by the application,wherein the payment method utilized at least in part a cryptocurrencyand wherein a payment transaction is managed at least in part by apayment service and, in response to the request and the choice of thepayment method, communicating, from the software module and via a secondapplication programming interface that defines a second protocol forcommunicating data between the software module and the payment service,a payment request event to the payment service, the payment requestevent including data for use by the payment service to handle thepurchase utilizing at least in part the cryptocurrency.

Another example method includes receiving a payment request event at apayment service, wherein receiving the payment request event at thepayment service is based on: (1) a software module receiving, via afirst application programming interface that defines a first protocolfor communicating data between the full client and an application, apayment request from the application for payment data associated with apurchase of a product, wherein the payment request is based on inputfrom a user indicating a desire to purchase the product and includesinformation about the purchase; and (2) receiving, from the user and viathe first application programming interface, a choice of the paymentservice, wherein the payment request event is received from the softwaremodule and via a second application programming interface that defines asecond protocol for communicating data between the software module andthe payment service and processing, at the payment service, the paymentrequest event to initiate a payment process including at least in partuse of a cryptocurrency.

Another example method includes transmitting, from an application, baseda user interaction with the application, at a software module and via afirst application programming interface that defines a first protocolfor communicating data between the software module and the application,a payment request, transmitting, via the first application programminginterface, a choice of a payment method supported by the application,wherein the payment method utilizes at least in part a cryptocurrencyand wherein a payment transaction is managed at least in part by apayment service, wherein, in response to the payment request and thechoice of the payment method, a second application programming interfacethat defines a second protocol for communicating data between thesoftware module and the payment service communicates a payment requestevent to the payment service, the payment request event including datafor use by the payment service to handle a payment via a payment processthat utilizes at least in part the cryptocurrency and receiving thepayment via the payment process.

Dynamic Buy Buttons

The concept of a dynamic object or a dynamic button above is discussedabove. A concept of a dynamic button or a dual purpose button can beprovided. This concept addresses the scenario where one user with thefirst account, which can be associated with a first browser type,navigates to a merchant site to purchase a product. The merchant sitecan be programmed to detect one or more of the browser type, a browsercharacteristic, a payment request API type, and/or an account type forthat user and present a corresponding dynamic buy button. Thus, the buybutton presented to the user can be tailored to one or more of thesefactors. If a second user, using a second browser type, or a secondaccount type, or based on some other factor, navigates to the samemerchant site, the merchant site can dynamically adapt the object thatis presented to that user such that the buy button can be tailored fortheir characteristics. A benefit of this approach is that each user canhave a recognizable and personalized and dynamically modified ordynamically presented buy button which they are familiar with and trustin terms of branding or a consistent experience across websites. In anapp context, an app can be programmed to enable calls using an APIprotocol to a module configured to control a user interface to requestand then receive authorized payment data. The following discussionrelates to several concepts related to reducing clicks in the context ofusing the payment request API and providing dynamic buy buttons.

The concept disclosed herein relates to how to reduce clicks in thecontext of the browser/user interface payment request API. The currentprocess is that the user is on the merchant.com website (any site, orapp), and clicks on a “buy” button, add to shopping cart button, orgives some other input like voice to initiate a purchase. Themerchant.com site will communicate with the browser through which thesite is being viewed to coordinate the payment methods accepted by thesite and the payment methods available to the user. Let's assume Bitcoinand Visa are available to both the user and the merchant. The browserAPI, once the overlap of payment methods is determined, will present aninterface (or speak or other modalities) from which the user can choosebitcoin or Visa. The key is how can at this stage the user only need tomake one click or one command to both choose the payment method andinitiate the payment process. There are several ways to do this. Onecould be a dynamic button that is coordinated with the payment type theuser wants to use or a dual-purpose button.

The browser API can be programmed to present a dual-purpose button inwhich the user can both choose and initiate the payment process. Thebutton may be dynamic as well and tailored to the payment type orbrowser type the user is using. For bitcoin or any cryptocurrencypayment method, the user could click on the bitcoin object in the APIinterface which will accept the selection of the method as well asinitiate the payment process without the need of clicking again on a“pay” button. The API would, based on the clicking of the “choose andpay” button, initiate the communication of data between merchant.com andthe browser and the buyer wallet. For example, after clicking on bitcoinin the API interface, the API could request from the merchant.com sitethe public key or data to identify the merchant.com wallet. This couldbe a package of data that include a public key, a transaction ID, usersearch history at the site, social media data, dynamic public key data,or any other data. Included within the data however should be theidentification of the merchant.com wallet. That data can be communicatedto a buy wallet with the amount of the purchase in the cryptocurrency,and any other data. The cryptocurrency wallets are programmed to receivedata and functional instructions from the browser API such that theprocess of opening the wallet, populating data, initiating a transactionand so forth, are performed under the covers and automatically based onthe user selection of the cryptocurrency from the browser API interface.

One way to enable a more efficient use of a button within a browser APIinterface is to make the user interface, and not just a button outsideof the interface, capable of reading a fingerprint. If the wholeinterface or selected parts of the interface are capable of reading afingerprint for confirming a purchase, then a “choose bitcoin and pay”button could receive a finger press that selects bitcoin while the userinterface reads the finger print of that finger press to confirm theuser's identity and initiate the payment process with the sameinteraction. The fingerprint reader as well outside of the userinterface could have a graphical component in which the user could see“bitcoin” or “Apple Pay” such that the user only needs to click on thatbutton with their fingerprint to both choose the payment method andconfirm with a level of security the buyer. The location of thefingerprint sensing component can vary in location on a touch screenbased on a location of an object to be selected by a user.

Facial recognition could also be used in connection with the selectionof a payment method. The user could select or say bitcoin and thensimply look at the interface for a facial recognition step which wouldthen confirm and carry out the functions disclosed herein.

In one aspect, only a region of the graphical display may include afinger print reader. In this case, the presentation of the graphicalinterface could be coordinated with the finger print reader such thatthe “choose and pay” object could be presented over the fingerprintreader region. The graphical display could include several regions suchthat the user, if they are given an option to either pick Bitcoin orApple Pay on the graphical interface, either one picked with a fingertouch would also cause the fingerprint to be read and the user identityaffirmed for payment processing. The region can change or move todifferent locations on the touch sensitive screen based on a position ofa buy button.

In another aspect, one company might want to pay in a currency orcryptocurrency that the other party does not use. There might bescenarios where there is no overlap between accepted payment methods. Aservice could be provided in which if both parties are signed up for theservice, they could coordinate a payment through the API although it isin a different currency. For example, the buyer may want to pay indollars but the seller might not want to be paid in dollars or may onlyhave a cryptocurrency wallet. A service could be provided as a paymentmethod option for the payment request API transaction such that thepayor can accept, say VISA, for payment through the API, but the paymentwould go to the service provider who would convert the payment from VISAto bitcoin, and then pay the seller or merchant in bitcoin. In onescenario, both parties do not need to be signed up for this approach butperhaps only one party would need to be. In this scenario, if a merchantonly accepts bitcoin, and they are registered with the service, themerchant site can be programmed to provide the following functionality.

Assume that the merchant accepts bitcoin and a buyer can pay in Visa,Mastercard or PayPal. Assume that the service is set up to receive Visaand Mastercard payment methods. The merchant site can be programmed topresent via the payment request API that they can receive Visa orMastercard (or bitcoin). This is like a proxy notification through theAPI. The approach then enables the API to coordinate the payment methodsthat work for both buyer and seller. Because the merchant site willpresent Visa and Mastercard, the buyer can select Visa for the paymentand confirm the payment. A button can dynamically change based on theseaccount types. The payment can be made to the site or to the serviceprovider, who then converts the payment to bitcoin and transfers thebitcoin to the merchant wallet. The buyer may have no idea that theultimate payment is in bitcoin but should not care as long as thepayment process is “one-click” in nature.

For example, the site may receive a token via the API with the paymentdata for the transaction. The site, since it does not accept VISA orcredit card payments, can forward the token to a service provider thatprocesses the payment and returns a different currency from the originalcurrency to the site. Thus, a visa payment can be processed and bitcoinreturned. This processing can be done in whole or in part at themerchant site or by a separate service provider. In the above scenario,where the merchant accepts bitcoin and the buyer can pay in bitcoin,there is no need for a proxy presentation or the service provider toconvert dollars to bitcoin. The transaction can occur in the standardfashion. However, if there is no currency match for the parties, then aproxy approach can be utilized where a currency conversion can occur forone or both of the parties through a proxy presentation via the API thatenables a payment to be made in a payment method that works for thebuyer such that the payment can be received, converted to a new currencyacceptable to the seller, and then transmitted or provided to theseller. The process could include a directive through the API that thebuyer's payment should be transmitted to a URL identified location ornetwork based payment processor rather than through the API as in atoken. Any rail could be used to transmit data, a token, public/privatekeys, etc.

FIG. 37 illustrates an aspect of this method with respect to dynamicallymodifying the buy button. A method includes determining, at a site,whether a user accessing the site via a browser (1) is using one of afirst browser or a second browser or (2) can make a purchase using afirst account or a second account to yield a determination (3702). Whenthe determination indicates that the user is using either the firstbrowser or can make the purchase using the first account, the methodincludes presenting a dynamically modified first buy button which isassociated with the first account (3704), transmitting, to the firstbrowser and via a first browser application programming interface thatdefines a protocol for communicating information about purchases betweenthe site and the first browser, a first payment request having firstinformation associated with the purchase from the site for the user(3706) and receiving, from the first browser and via the first browserapplication programming interface, first data associated with the firstaccount, the first data being associated with processing the purchase(3708). The data can be a confirmation that a payment service processedthe data or can be a token or account data for the site to process thepurchase or submit the data to a payment processor. The data can be alsonon-currency data but something of value.

When the determination indicates that the user is using either thesecond browser or can make the purchase using the second account, themethod includes presenting a dynamically modified second buy buttonwhich is associated with the second account (3710), transmitting, to thesecond browser and via a second browser application programminginterface that defines a protocol for communicating information aboutpurchases between the site and the second browser, a second paymentrequest having second information associated with the purchase from thesite for the user (3712) and receiving, from the second browser and viathe second browser application programming interface, second dataassociated with the second account, the second data being associatedwith processing the purchase (3714).

The first browser and the second browser can be different browser typesand the first browser can operate on a first device and the secondbrowser can operate on a second device. The first browser applicationprogramming interface and the second browser application programminginterface can each be associated with operations of the first browserand the second browser, respectively. The second data associated withthe second account can include payment data that confirms that a paymentto purchase a product was performed by a payment service. The first dataassociated with the first account can include payment data that confirmsthat a payment to purchase a product was performed by a payment service.

The method can further include receiving a communication, from the firstbrowser and based on data communicating via a browser payment handlerapplication programming interface which defines a protocol forcommunicating data between the first browser and a payment service,information confirming that the payment service processed the payment.

FIG. 38 can illustrate another method aspect of this disclosure. Amethod can include determining whether a user interfacing with a sitevia a browser can make a payment via a first browser applicationprogramming interface or a second browser payment request applicationprogramming interface to yield a selected browser and a selected browserapplication programming interface, wherein the selected browserapplication programming interface defines a protocol for communicatingdata between a site and the selected browser for managing payments(3802), presenting a dynamically modified buy button that is associatedwith the selected browser or a user payment account enabled via theselected browser (3804), transmitting, in connection with an interactionwith the dynamically modified buy button, a payment request to theselected browser and via the selected browser application programminginterface (3806) and receiving, in response to the payment request, fromthe selected browser and via the selected browser applicationprogramming interface, payment information at the site (3808).

Dynamically modified buy button can be associated with the user paymentaccount. The site programming can be configured to accept, say,different payment mechanisms and the API simply identifies from thebrowser which ones the user has available. The payment information caninclude a confirmation that the payment has been processed by a paymentservice or a payment app on the device. The method can also includereceiving confirmation information from the selected browser and via theselected browser application programming interface. The confirmation canconfirm that a payment service has successfully made a payment for aproduct to the site. Coupons, discounts, points, and so forth can bealso incorporated into payments through these APIs.

These embodiments can be described in terms of methods, systems, andcomputer readable media and can occur from the standpoint of themerchant site, the browser, the browser maker, and a service provider aswell.

Other APIs can provide a site with data about the particular user thatis browsing to make a purchase as well. For example, location, age,income level, purchasing habits, social media data, browsing history,types of accounts the user uses, how much money is in a user account oraccounts, or other information about the user can be provided to a sitesuch that the data can be incorporated into the decision making processof how to present a payment button or how to modify the payment flow forthat user. Machine learning, artificial intelligence, rule-based logic,or any other such approach can utilize training data with respect to howusers react to payment flows to dynamically present a particular flowfor a particular user such that their experience can be consistentacross payment platforms. This can include NFC POS purchases, on-line,in-app, and mobile purchasing. Embodiments can include claims from thestandpoint of a merchant site sending and receiving data as describedabove, claims from the standpoint of a server or cloud-based servicethat receives requests and provides responses to help sites configuretheir payment interface for users, browser-based claims where the API isupdated to receive requests and provide responses from the browseracting as an agent to give parameters or data to a site to improve theinterface for less friction in the purchasing process. The browser canalso use another API that communicates with a network based applicationto send data back to the browser, which can then send data back to thesite for dynamically presenting the interface.

In-App Purchases

As noted above, another aspect of this disclosure is how to use the APIsin the context of apps that a user has downloaded to a device. The samegeneral principles described above with respect to the flow of requests,responses and providing authorized payment data apply in the samemanner. The provisional application 61/972,879, filed Mar. 31, 2014,explains that the user can be performing a product search from anylocation such as a website or an application downloaded on a userdevice. Much of the discussion above focuses on the website aspect ofthe disclosure. The following focuses on applying the concepts disclosedto applications.

The principles disclosed herein related to browser APIs used forcommunicating with sites can also be applied in terms of the basicfunctionality to a software module that is programmed to interface withan application on a user device. In the app scenario, a browser mightnot be used to view the application as the visual aspects of theexperience are built into the application itself. In such a case, asoftware module that may or may not control some aspects of a visualexperience with the application can be programmed to perform all of thefunctionality disclosed herein with respect to payments, clothing orbody models, etc. The application communicates with the software modulein the same or similar basic way as the site communicates with thebrowser in that scenario. The software module can handle requests fromthe application, obtain payment data from the device, from the softwaremodule, from a network-based entity, or any combination thereof, andreceive authorized payment data such as a one-time use token, encryptedpayment credentials, or other payment or confirmation data. The softwaremodule and manage the process and provide through the protocol of theAPI, the authorized payment data for use in making a payment, confirminga payment or completing a payment. The app can process the data orprovide the data to its payment processor for handling the payment.

One example method in this regard is a method that includestransmitting, from an application operating on a device, to a module(such as a software module acting as an agent to manage the process) onthe device and according to an application programming interface thatdefines a protocol for communicating data between the application andthe module on the device, a request associated with a potentialpurchase, wherein the request includes information about the potentialpurchase. The method includes receiving, at the application, from themodule and according to the application programming interface,authorized payment data, wherein the module retrieved, based on therequest, the authorized payment data for the potential purchase from oneor more of the module, the device operating the module or anetwork-based entity separate from the device. This method is from thestandpoint of the application operating on the device and the steps thatit performs. The software module may or may not that control a userinterface. For example, an authorization sheet or user interface mightbe presented to enable the user to confirm the purchase and pass thepayment data according to the protocol of the API to the application.

Another aspect is from the standpoint of the device or the softwaremodule. The method includes receiving, at a module operating on adevice, from an application operating on the device, and according to anapplication programming interface that defines a protocol forcommunicating data between the application and the module, a requestassociated with a potential purchase, wherein the request includesinformation about the potential purchase and transmitting, from themodule and to the application, according to the application programminginterface, authorized payment data, wherein the module retrieved, basedon the request, the authorized payment data for the potential purchasefrom one of the module, the device operating the module or anetwork-based entity separate from the device.

Yet another aspect includes the process from the standpoint of a paymentservice or a network-based server that participates in the paymentprocess. A method in this regard includes receiving, at a network-basedserver, from a module operating on a device and according to anapplication programming interface that defines a protocol forcommunicating data between the module and the network-based server, acommunication associated with a potential purchase within an applicationoperating on the device, wherein the communication includes informationabout the potential purchase based on a request transmitted from theapplication operating on the device to the module. The method furtherincludes transmitting, from the network-based server and to the module,according to the application programming interface, authorized paymentdata, wherein the module transmits the authorized payment data for thepotential purchase to the application. All of the other aspects of thedisclosure with respect to a browser-based approach can also apply,where possible, in an app context, where a user downloads an app whichis programmed to take advantage of the APIs described herein for asimplified, secure and safe payment process in connection with a module.The app may operate exclusively on the local client device or may have aportion of the presentation of data from a local app and a portion froma web-based app.

In another example, a device can include a processor, acomputer-readable storage device and a software module stored on thecomputer-readable storage device. The software module can be configuredwith a software module application programming interface programmed thatdefines a protocol for communicating data between an application on thedevice and the software module. In one aspect, this can be termed a fullclient API in that it is built into a software module operating on thedevice. This can be built into a browser, into the operating system orbe a separate module for managing the flow of requests and responses forproviding payment data to apps. The software module further can beconfigured to utilize the software module application programminginterface to manage (1) a request from the application on the device forauthorized payment data for a purchase associated with the application,(2) operations including receiving first data from the device and seconddata from a network-based entity to yield the authorized payment dataand (3) deliverance of the authorized payment data to the application.

The software module, when executed by the processor, causes theprocessor perform operations including receiving, from the applicationoperating on the device, the request associated with the purchase,wherein the request includes information about the purchase,transmitting, according to the software module application programminginterface and to the application, the authorized payment data. Theapplication can manage the purchase by transmitting the authorizedpayment data to a server for processing a payment. The authorizedpayment data can be represented by an encrypted token. The authorizedpayment data is encrypted based on one or more of the first data and thesecond data.

In another aspect, a device includes a processor, a computer-readablestorage device and a software module stored on the computer-readablestorage device. The software module can be configured with a softwaremodule application programming interface programmed that defines aprotocol for communicating data between an application on the device andthe software module. The software module, when executed by theprocessor, causes the processor perform operations including receiving,from the application operating on the device, a request associated witha purchase from the application, wherein the request includesinformation about the purchase, receiving first data from the device andreceiving second data from a network-based entity to yield authorizedpayment data and transmitting, via the software module applicationprogramming interface and to the application, the authorized paymentdata. The authorized payment data can be the first data or the seconddata and can be based on one or more of the first data and/or the seconddata.

Method examples can also be implemented using the operations describedabove. The operations can include one or more of the software moduleretrieving data from the device such as a secure memory location and/orreceiving encrypted data from a network device for security purposes.

An example method includes transmitting, from an application, to asoftware module and via or according to a user interface applicationprogramming interface that defines a protocol for communicating databetween the application and the software module, a request associatedwith a payment to the application, wherein the request includesinformation about the payment and receiving, at the application, fromthe software module and according to the user interface applicationprogramming interface, authorized payment data, wherein the softwaremodule accesses or receives, based on the request, the authorizedpayment data for the potential purchase from a device operating thesoftware module, a network-based entity, or the software module.

The software module can further include a full client software modulewhich is programmed to enable implementation of the user interfaceapplication programming interface.

Another device example can include a processor and a computer-readablestorage device storing instructions which, when executed by theprocessor, cause the processor perform operations includingtransmitting, from an application operating on the device, to a softwaremodule and via a user interface application programming interface thatdefines a protocol for communicating data between the application andthe software module, a request associated with a payment to theapplication, wherein the request includes information about the paymentand receiving, at the application, from the software module and via theuser interface application programming interface, authorized paymentdata, wherein the software module accesses or receives, based on therequest, the authorized payment data for the potential purchase from thedevice or the software module. The authorized data can be an encryptedtoken for one time use of a re-encryption of an encrypted token.

The processes or software module can also present an authorizationinterface enabling the user to confirm a purchase (or any other datatransmitted as disclosed above).

Examples within the scope of the present disclosure may also includetangible and/or non-transitory computer-readable storage devices forcarrying or having computer-executable instructions or data structuresstored thereon. Such tangible computer-readable storage devices can beany available device that can be accessed by a general purpose orspecial purpose computer, including the functional design of any specialpurpose processor as described above. By way of example, and notlimitation, such tangible computer-readable devices can include RAM,ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storageor other magnetic storage devices, or any other device which can be usedto carry or store desired program code in the form ofcomputer-executable instructions, data structures, or processor chipdesign. When information or instructions are provided via a network oranother communications connection (either hardwired, wireless, orcombination thereof) to a computer, the computer properly views theconnection as a computer-readable medium. Thus, any such connection isproperly termed a computer-readable medium. Combinations of the aboveshould also be included within the scope of the computer-readablestorage devices.

Computer-executable instructions include, for example, instructions anddata which cause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer,or special purpose processing device to perform a certain function orgroup of functions. Computer-executable instructions also includeprogram modules that are executed by computers in stand-alone or networkenvironments. Generally, program modules include routines, programs,components, data structures, objects, and the functions inherent in thedesign of special-purpose processors, etc. that perform particular tasksor implement particular abstract data types. Computer-executableinstructions, associated data structures, and program modules representexamples of the program code means for executing steps of the methodsdisclosed herein. The particular sequence of such executableinstructions or associated data structures represents examples ofcorresponding acts for implementing the functions described in suchsteps.

Other examples of the disclosure may be practiced in network computingenvironments with many types of computer system configurations,including personal computers, hand-held devices, multi-processorsystems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. Examplesmay also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasksare performed by local and remote processing devices that are linked(either by hardwired links, wireless links, or by a combination thereof)through a communications network. In a distributed computingenvironment, program modules may be located in both local and remotememory storage devices.

The various examples described above are provided by way of illustrationonly and should not be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure.Various modifications and changes may be made to the principlesdescribed herein without following the example examples and applicationsillustrated and described herein, and without departing from the spiritand scope of the disclosure. Claim language reciting “at least one of” aset indicates that one member of the set or multiple members of the setsatisfy the claim. Notably, any feature described in any example orembodiment can be combined with any other feature of any example ofembodiment. For example, any feature discussed with respect to a searchengine example can be applicable and interchangeable with a social mediaexample, or a product purchase management engine example.

We claim:
 1. A method comprising: storing, in a user profile on a socialmedia network, payment data for a user to enable purchases of productsfrom merchants independent of the social media network while the user isinteracting with the social media network; determining, by a paymentengine of the social media network, if a product is included in aproduct database having product details received from a merchantcomputing device; receiving, at the social media network and based onthe product being included in the product database, an interaction fromthe user with a buy option configured on a piece of content presented auser interface of the social media network, wherein the buy option isfor the product and comprises one of a buy button, a drop-down menu, ora hyperlink; managing, by the payment engine of the social media networkand based on the interaction, a purchase of the product using thepayment data; and informing, by the payment engine of the social medianetwork, the merchant computing device of the purchase of the product toenable delivery of the product to the user.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the piece of content comprises an image with a tag associatedwith the product.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the piece of contentcomprises one of an advertisement or a post on the social media network.4. The method of claim 1, wherein data from the product databaseaccessed from the merchant computing device is accessed via anapplication programming interface between the social media network andthe merchant computing device.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein thepiece of content is chosen to be presented to the user based on one ormore of social media data, historical data, a time of year, user profiledata, data about friends or family of the user, weather data, and/orother websites or applications where the user has made purchases,messaging data, calendar information for the user, location-based data,recent purchases or other transactions.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the piece of content is chosen based on which merchant the useris likely to want to purchase the product from.
 7. The method of claim1, wherein the piece of content comprises an advertisement from amerchant that is presented in a news feed of the user on the socialmedia network.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the advertisement isselected based on one or more of social media data, historical data, atime of year, user profile data, data about friends or family of theuser, weather data, and/or other websites or applications where the userhas made purchases.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the piece ofcontent is chosen to be presented to the user based on an output of anintent classifier and further based on one or more of social media data,historical data, a time of year, user profile data, data about friendsor family of the user, weather data, and/or other websites orapplications where the user has made purchases.
 10. A method comprising:storing, in a user profile on a non-search/non-commerce application orwebsite, payment data for a user to enable purchases of products whilethe user is interacting with the non-search/non-commerce application orwebsite; receiving a first interaction on a user interface from the useron the non-search/non-commerce application or website; based on thefirst interaction from the user, presenting a piece of content on theuser interface of the non-search/non-commerce application or website,the piece of content comprising a product for sale, wherein the productis provided in the piece of content based on the product being includedin a product database with product data provided from a merchantcomputing device; receiving, at the non-search/non-commerce applicationor website, a second interaction with a buy option configured on thepiece of content, wherein the buy option is for the product andcomprises one of a buy button, a drop-down menu, or a hyperlink;managing, via a payment engine associated with thenon-search/non-commerce application or web site and withouttransitioning to the merchant computing device, a purchase of theproduct using the payment data; and informing, by thenon-search/non-commerce application or website, the merchant computingdevice of the purchase of the product to enable delivery of the productto the user.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the piece of content ischosen based on one or more of an output of an intent classifier, socialmedia data, historical data, a time of year, user profile data, dataabout friends or family of the user, weather data, and/or other websitesor applications where the user has made purchases.
 12. The method ofclaim 10, wherein data from the product database accessed from themerchant computing device is accessed via an application programminginterface between the non-search/non-commerce application or website andthe merchant computing device.
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein thepiece of content comprises an advertisement from a merchant computingdevice that is presented as a posting on a news feed of the user on thenon-search/non-commerce application or website.
 14. The method of claim13, wherein the advertisement is selected based on one or more of anoutput of an intent classifier, social media data, historical data, atime of year, user profile data, data about friends or family of theuser, weather data, and/or other websites or applications where the userhas made purchases.
 15. A method comprising: storing, in a user profileon a first application or website, payment data for a user to enablepurchases of products from a second application or website while theuser is interacting with the first application or website; receiving afirst interaction on a user interface from the user on the firstapplication or website; based on the first interaction from the user,presenting a piece of content on the user interface of the firstapplication or website, the piece of content comprising a product forsale from the second application or website, wherein the product isprovided with the piece of content based on the product being includedin a product database with product data provided from a computing deviceassociated with the second application or website; receiving, at thefirst application or website, a second interaction with a buy optionconfigured on the piece of content, wherein the buy option comprises oneof a buy button, a drop-down menu, or a hyperlink; managing, withouttransitioning to the second application or website and within the firstapplication or website, a purchase of the product using the paymentdata; and informing, by the first application or website, the computingdevice associated with the second application or website of the purchaseof the product to enable delivery of the product to the user.
 16. Themethod of claim 15, wherein the piece of content is chosen based on oneor more of an output of an intent classifier, social media data,historical data, a time of year, user profile data, data about friendsor family of the user, weather data, and/or other websites orapplications where the user has made purchases.
 17. The method of claim15, wherein data from the product database accessed from the computingdevice associated with the second application or website is accessed viaan application programming interface between the first application orwebsite and the computing device.
 18. The method of claim 15, whereinthe piece of content comprises an advertisement from the secondapplication or website that is presented as a posting on a news feed ofthe user on the first application or website.
 19. The method of claim18, wherein the advertisement is selected based on one or more of anoutput of an intent classifier, social media data, historical data, atime of year, user profile data, data about friends or family of theuser, weather data, and/or other websites or applications where the userhas made purchases.
 20. The method of claim 16, wherein the firstapplication or website comprises non-search non-commerce application orwebsite and the second application of website comprises a commerceapplication or website.